Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed hope that Bangladesh will be able to use hydrogen fuel experimentally by 2035.
This plan is part of a broader strategy to produce electricity from hydrogen and ammonia.
The prime minister made this statement in response to a question by Habibur Rahman, an Awami League MP for the Sylhet-3 constituency, during the question-and-answer session of the Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury in the chair.
In her response, the prime minister mentioned that a dedicated cell has been established within the Transformed Natural Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) under Petrobangla. This cell is tasked with collecting data from ongoing global research and activities related to the sustainable and reliable production of hydrogen as a fuel. Upon gathering sufficient information, the cell will prepare a project proposal. The expectation is that by 2035, hydrogen fuel could be used experimentally in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh in the age of uranium fuel
Responding to a question from Bhola-2 Constituency MP Ali Azam, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina iterated the government’s commitment to ensuring justice and equality for all citizens, irrespective of their economic status. She highlighted the government's efforts to establish the rule of law and guarantee fair trials, thus alleviating the suffering of those seeking justice. Since 2009, 1,429 judges have been appointed in subordinate courts.
In response to another query from Feni-1 Constituency MP Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury, the Prime Minister detailed the achievements of the Asrayan project, which has rehabilitated 867,977 landless and homeless families, benefiting over 4,339,000 people. The project has rendered 58 districts and 464 upazilas completely landless and homeless-free. Five divisions—Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Khulna, and Rajshahi—are now also completely free of landless and homeless individuals.
The prime minister further noted that since 1997, 959,848 families have been rehabilitated through barrack houses, and an additional 153,853 families have received free houses built on their own land. During Mujib Year, 266,085 families received semi-paved single houses with 2 percent land ownership in the joint name of husband and wife, benefiting a total of 1,330,000 people.
Moreover, 6,945 acres of Khas land have been recovered nationwide to provide homes to landless, homeless, and marginalized people. The market value of this land is approximately 3,773 crore taka.
Increased budget for social security
Answering a question from Satkhira-4 Constituency MP SM Ataul Haque regarding the budget allocation for the social security sector, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina noted a significant increase in the budget. From Tk 13,845 crore in the 2008-09 financial year, the budget for social security programmes has increased 9.12 times to Tk 126,272 crore in the 2023-24 financial year. This support programmes operates under 119 social security initiatives.
IHR/NMA