Bangladesh Cuts Ministers’ Fuel Use by 30%, Suspends Interest-Free Car Loans for Officials
Bangladesh has announced a series of austerity measures aimed at reducing energy consumption and government spending, including a 30 percent cut in monthly fuel allocations for ministers’ official vehicles and a temporary suspension of interest-free loans for government officials to purchase cars.
The decisions were approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Tarique Rahman on Thursday night at the Secretariat, according to an official statement released Friday.
As part of a broader strategy to tackle ongoing global energy pressures, the government has set a target to save around 3,100 megawatts of electricity daily through coordinated actions led by the power division.
Authorities emphasized maintaining uninterrupted energy supply to priority sectors such as agriculture, fertilizer production, and industrial activities to sustain economic growth.
In addition, decorative lighting across the country has been discouraged for the next three months. The government plans to launch public awareness campaigns through print and electronic media, with provisions for mobile courts to enforce compliance if necessary.
Revised Office Hours and Business Closures
New working hours have also been introduced for both public and private sectors. Offices will operate from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, while banks will follow the same schedule, with customer services available from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Except for emergency services, all office buildings, shopping malls, and commercial establishments must close by 6:00 PM under the new directive.
Education and Transport Measures
The Education Ministry has been tasked with consulting stakeholders to develop an energy-saving plan for educational institutions, which will be presented at a future cabinet meeting.
To reduce fuel consumption and environmental pollution, the cabinet has also approved duty-free imports of fully electric buses for registered educational institutions.
In other cases, such imports will be subject to a reduced overall duty of 20 percent. Authorities further decided to gradually remove expired and high-emission vehicles from the roads.
Wider Spending Cuts Across Government
The government’s austerity plan includes a broad reduction in public expenditure. All foreign training funded by the government will remain suspended until further notice.
Domestic training costs will be reduced by 50 percent, while expenses for meetings, seminars, and hospitality will also be significantly cut.
Travel expenses will be reduced by 30 percent, and the purchase of vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, and computers in the public sector has been completely halted. Fuel usage in government offices will also be reduced by 30 percent.
Additionally, spending on beautification of residential buildings will be cut by 20 percent, and by 50 percent for non-residential structures. Land acquisition expenditures have been fully suspended as part of the cost-saving initiative.
Officials said relevant ministries will now move forward with implementing these directives in phases across the country.
