New law orders Tajikistan citizens to use energy saving light bulbs

Tajikistan’s president has signed a decree obliging the country’s citizens to replace every ordinary light bulb in the republic with an energy-saving one.

According to the bill signed by Emomali Rakhmon, starting May 1, there should be no ordinary light bulbs in Tajik households, Interfax reports quoting the law published on Rakhmon’s website.

The measure is aimed as helping Tajikistan to solve its energy issues: the country suffers from a tough shortage of electric energy. During winter, electricity everywhere in the country, save for the capital Dushanbe, is either totally switched off or provided periodically.

In Tajikistan, an ordinary light bulb can be purchased for $0.25 to $0.5, while prices for energy saving bulbs vary from $1.5 to $10.

Considering that the average salary in the republic is $74, the move may not be welcomed by common people.

In his decree, the president ordered the Finance Ministry to provide 241,000 poor families with energy-saving light bulbs. But according to the World Bank, there are 4.7 million people in Tajikistan, or two-thirds of the population, living below the poverty level.

Earlier, Emomali Rakhmon officially prohibited schoolchildren and university students to carry mobile phones, and banned luxurious celebrations of weddings and funerals.