POWER SHORTAGE IN BANGLADESH CUTS SCHOOL AND OFFICE HOURS

Wed 24 August 2022:

Schools in Bangladesh will close an extra day each week, while government offices and banks will cut their workdays by an hour to reduce electricity use in response to rising fuel prices and the impact of the Ukraine war.

The new hours go into effect on Wednesday. Most schools in Bangladesh are closed on Fridays, but will now also be closed on Saturdays, according to Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.

He said government offices and banks will cut their workdays to seven hours from eight hours, but private offices will be allowed to set their own schedules.

The conflict in Ukraine has disrupted supplies, which has prompted oil and food costs to skyrocket globally.

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has taken steps to reduce the strain on its shrinking foreign exchange reserves. Fuel costs increased by more than 50% last month. According to the government, it is looking into possibilities for a unique arrangement to obtain cheaper petroleum from Russia.

Since the government shut down all diesel-run power facilities, the nation has seen more frequent power outages, which has resulted in a 1,000 megawatt reduction in daily electricity production.

To maintain the $416 billion economy of the nation, which has been expanding quickly over the past ten years, officials have committed to keep supplying power to industrial zones.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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