DUSHANBE, April 15, 2009, Asia-Plus  --Conventional light bulbs should be replaced with the energy-saving ones in the country by the end of this year.

President Emomali Rahmon gave such an instruction to the ministries of energy and industries as well as economic development and trade during an address to a joint meeting of both chambers of the parliament on April 15.

According to him, the energy-saving light bulbs will allow saving up to 3.12 billion kWh of electricity per year among residential customers alone.  Rahmon noted that at present, the country’s annual power deficiencies amounted to 5 billion kWh.

Noting that there are 214,000 vulnerable families in the country, Emomai Rahmon charged the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEi) to provide the vulnerable families with the energy-saving bulbs at the expense of state funds.

The president charged relevant bodies to build the enterprise for producing energy-saving bulbs in the country by the end of 2010.

The Ministry of Energy and Industries and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade are to work out the energy-saving program and submit it for consideration to the government this year.