Prime Minister seeks $2 billion in global aid to address energy crisis

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought $2 billion (about Tk 24,600 crore in Bangladeshi currency) in aid from international partners to address the ongoing energy crisis in the country due to the impact of the Middle East war. He sought this assistance while participating virtually in the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) Plus conference on Wednesday (April 15) afternoon.
The head of government said that this crisis has clearly brought to the fore our interdependence and vulnerability. No country can face this challenge alone. Coordinated and far-sighted action is needed among Asian countries to strengthen regional energy security and resolve the problem of supply disruptions.
Tarique Rahman expressed concern that the scale and consequences of this crisis could be worse than the oil crisis of the 1970s, which stalled development activities in the 1980s.
Tarique Rahman said that the energy crisis is harming Bangladesh’s economy and the government will take several short-term steps to address its impact. These include demand management by changing the timings of government offices and markets; increasing fuel imports on an emergency basis and maintaining normal fuel supply through alternative sources; fuel rationing and retail sales limits to control consumers; and initiatives like the ‘Fuel App’ to prevent hoarding and panic buying.