Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir today (20 April) said while fuel prices have increased, the prices of essential goods will not rise significantly, noting that food items are not “made of fuel.”
“Fuel is mainly used in transportation, and even in manufacturing industries, energy accounts for only 7-8% of total production costs,” he said, while speaking to journalists after inaugurating a measles and rubella vaccination campaign at the Government Agragami Girls’ High School and College in Sylhet.
The minister said, “In the overall economic and global context, fuel prices have increased only slightly. Without this adjustment, import costs would have surged. When import costs rise, it is natural for consumer prices to increase. Fuel prices have gone up across the world, including in developed countries.”
The minister said the government is working to prevent the fuel price hike from inflation, noting that diesel subsidies for farmers will continue alongside measures in other sectors to keep prices stable.
Regarding the health sector, he said that widespread irregularities over the past two years led to the current situation, adding that the government is taking necessary steps to address it.
Earlier, at the vaccination programme’s inauguration, he said public health remains a government priority and expressed hope that the ongoing drive will significantly reduce measles nationwide.
The minister announced that a 250-bed hospital will be launched in Sylhet, with government approval, to address dissatisfaction with healthcare.
He noted the region’s lag in social indicators and persistent disparities, and vowed to reduce these within five years.
Speaking as a special guest, Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury said staff are working round the clock to ensure the measles-rubella campaign’s success, urging parents to ignore rumours and have their children vaccinated.
The welcome speech was delivered by SCC Chief Health Officer Dr Md Zahidul Islam. Presided over by Assistant Director Dr Nure Alam Shamim, the event was jointly organised by SCC and the Office of the Divisional Director of Health.
Health officials reported a target to vaccinate 1,351,969 children across the Sylhet division.
This includes 465,354 in Sylhet district (68,580 within the city corporation), 210,186 in Moulvibazar, 333,941 in Habiganj, and 344,588 in Sunamganj.
The vaccinations will be administered at 84 centres across SCC over a month. So far, six children in the division have died with symptoms of Measles and Rubella.
Prior to the event, the minister inspected the 250-bed Sylhet District Hospital and Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, built at a cost of nearly Tk100 crore.
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