Bangladesh seeks $1 billion budget support from World Bank

Dhaka, Aug 22 : Bangladesh's interim government has sought $1 billion from the World Bank as budgetary support.

The call came from the country's Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan's meeting with Abdoulaye Seck, the World Bank's Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He made the plea as the ministry owes more than 2 billion dollars to suppliers in import costs of power and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.

Khan mentioned that the interim government, which was formed with many pressing mandates, is due to settle a $2 billion debt left by the previous government in the power sector.

He said they have already suspended activities under the much-criticized Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply Act 2010 and abolished the government's power to set energy prices without any public hearing.

On August 5, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted from her country and power, ending her rule since January 2009.

This event was seen as a massive escalation, with what initially started as student’s protests and resulted in a major crisis in Bangladesh.

Earlier on August 8, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh's interim government.