Speakers at a seminar yesterday underscored the need for extensive rural electrification for rapid economic development of the country.

They said 20.5 million people of the country have so far been benefited from rural electrification.

The seminar on 'Economic and social impact of rural electrification programme in Bangladesh' was held at a city hotel.

State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain, State Minister for Power Iqbal Hassan Mahmud, world Bank's Country Director Christine wallich, Secretary of Power Division Shamsul Alam and Chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) Ziaul Islam Chowdhury addressed the seminar.

Prof Abul Barakat of economics department of Dhaka University presented a study report at the seminar.

The USAID, BREB and NRECA International Ltd jointly sponsored the study.

The report revealed that during the last 20 years, the total number of domestic consumers of rural electricity has increased almost 12 times from 2,852 in 1983 to

3,413,825 in 2002.

The estimated average annual growth rate is 42.53 per cent, it added.

"In agriculture, an estimated 1.1 million people are using rural electricity for irrigation while 63,200 industries are employing 983,829 people," the report said on the impact of employment.

AKM Mosharraf Hossain lauded the role of the BREB and suggested that the organisation should adjust its expansion plan taking into account the quick changes that is now sweeping the country side.

He said the overall economic development of Bangladesh depends largely on extensive rural electrification.

Iqbal Hassan Mahmud said the DESA and the PDB could learn a lot from the BREB's experience on low cost supply management.

Christine wallich laid emphasis on independent regulatory body for power sector.