Govt withdraws monthly charges on prepaid electricity meters

The government has officially withdrawn the additional monthly charges on prepaid electricity meters to provide financial relief to consumers. 

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party Media Cell confirmed the decision in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Wednesday (June 3).

According to the announcement, the waiver marks a key milestone in the first 100 days of the current administration, explicitly aimed at alleviating public financial hardship. 

The move fulfills a prior commitment made on March 29 by Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, who had assured the public that the controversial monthly meter rent would be scrapped.

Prior to this policy change, electricity subscribers were required to pay a monthly demand charge of 42 taka per kilowatt alongside a single-phase meter rent of 40 taka, plus a 5 percent value-added tax on the total amount. 

These recurring supplementary fees had previously sparked widespread frustration and anger among consumers nationwide.