Dhaka: Bangladesh has received consent from India to import power from Nepal using Indian territory, said State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid here on Saturday.

"We've received Indian consent to import power from Nepal. Now Bangladesh will sign a deal with Nepal to set up a power plant by investing there," he told reporters.

Nasrul was addressing a ‘meet-the-press’ programme organised by Dhaka Reporters' Unity at its auditorium.

He also said a similar deal will be signed with Bhutan as Bangladesh has been planning to import about 10,000 MW from the neighboring nations.

Nasrul said Bangladesh has also token up a massive plan to generate 10 percent of total electricity from renewable energy sources as this will be the future energy.

The government has been working with a mega plan to generate 60,000 MW by 2040 and its current target is to increase generation to 24,000 MW by 2021, he added.

Responding to a question, the junior minister said Bangladesh will use improved modern technology in the planned Rampal coal-fired power plant so that its emission level could be lesser than the normal one.

Criticising the developed nations’ concern over Rampal power plant, he said they have developed their own countries by generating power from coal, and now they are moving towards the use of renewable energy as they achieved a high-level of development.

Describing his ministry's different development programmes, Nasrul said now the government is providing 500,000 electricity connections every month while it was only 43,000 per month when he assumed office three years bank.

He said the Power and Energy Ministry has initiated a move to establish paper-less office by digitising its activities within the next three years. A consultant has been appointed for the job.

Narrating his plan for introducing smartcards for power consumers in the future, he said using this card consumers will be able to pay his bill from anywhere in the world.

The state minister said his ministry has taken an initiative for the drilling of 108 wells at different gas fields and import of LNG for addressing the gas crisis.

Dhaka Reporters Unity president Shakhawat Hossain Badsha and general secretary Morsalin Nomani were present at the programme.