PM reiterated Punjab government’s package is from provincial budget and there is no contribution by federal government to it
KARACHI: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has asked the provincial governments to desist from politics on relief provided by the Punjab government and instead they must take similar measures for public relief.
Addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet here on Tuesday, the prime minister said there should be no politics on Punjab government’s relief to electricity consumers using 200 to 500 units per month. “Instead all the provincial governments should follow suit and take measures for the relief of the people.”
Rejecting allegations of any discrimination against people of other provinces with the extension of relief to the people of Punjab, the prime minister reiterated the Punjab government’s package is from the provincial budget and there is no contribution by the federal government to it. “The federal government had nothing to do with the package.” Shehbaz pointed out that the Punjab government spared Rs 45 billion from its development budget to extend Rs 14 per unit relief to consumers who would use electricity between 200 and 500 units for two months (August and September).”This is right of people but the federal government has no share in this relief package”, he said.
He mentioned that trillions of rupees are transferred to the provinces under the National Finance Commission (NFC) saying that the provinces should spare some parts of funds received under NFC to facilitate masses. He said they would be pleased if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government also extended any such relief to people but the provincial government should refrain from doing politics and distorting facts. He said that the federal government in consultation with provincial governments is working on a comprehensive plan for reforms in different sectors of the economy. Shehbaz mentioned the power sector, agriculture, digitalization of FBR, commerce and trade as the key focuses of this plan. The prime minister said the federal government is doing its part to provide relief to people across the country. Mentioning Rs 50 billion subsidy in electricity prices to consumers across the country, using up to 200 units of electricity for three months from July to September. Shehbaz also mentioned the Rs 70 billion project in collaboration with the federal and Balochistan governments to shift 28,000 tube wells in the province to solar energy. He said the federal government has a share of Rs 55 billion in this project.
Highlighting the measures to stabilize the economy, the prime minister said inflation now, is at the lowest rate of the last three years, as it has dropped to 11 percent from 38 percent. He said we will continue our efforts to further reduce it. About the recent damages caused by monsoon rains in different part of the country, the prime minister appreciated NDMA’s coordination and efforts. The cabinet also offered fateha for Shuhada who sacrificed their lives in the ongoing war against terrorism and those who died in flash floods and rains.
Meanwhile, during a media talk, the Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said “It is no relief in which only subsidies are being offered for only two months while the bills for the third month turn out to be a burden for the poor customers. ” Shah said that his leadership has instructed him to provide permanent relief in the electricity bills to the people of Sindh. He said his government would never drain away public funds by providing temporary, unstable and impractical subsidies but “we are exploring ways and means to provide affordable electricity to our people,” he reiterated. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the power crisis has been created by those who preferred to install power plants with imported coal and LNG. “They stopped Sindh from installing solar and wind power projects and are now advising solar, wind and Thar coal power generation as low-cost electricity solutions.”
Reacting to Sindh CM’s remarks, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said, ” Someone has called the relief given in electricity bills a stupidity I laughed that spending money on corruption, on vehicles, on ships, on protocols is not stupidity, but giving relief to people is stupidity in their eyes.” She added, ”Even if people get two months of relief in these circumstances, I am happy because we have come to give relief.” She said,” The federal government has given relief to the consumers of up to 200 units across Pakistan.” She added,” I am a Pakistani first and a Punjabi later, we have not received relief for “Other provinces can also give relief to their citizens, instead of criticizing, move forward and give relief to the people.” She added,” Calling the process of giving relief to people stupidity is the biggest stupidity.”
In a related development, Energy Minister Awais Leghari admitted that the electricity tariffs in Pakistan were the highest in the region but added that the poor were being provided subsidies in power bills.“No doubt, we’re providing the most expensive electricity in the region, but poor consumers are getting at subsidised rates with others bearing the burden,” the minister said while addressing the National Youth Convention in Islamabad. Due to the high cost of electricity, the minister said, industries across the country were shutting down but the government was “now providing electricity to the industries at lower rates, bearing the additional costs”. The power minister further said that earlier, the cost of electricity for the consumers was Rs10 per unit, but it has increased due to the depreciation of local currency against the US dollar. “The current average electricity cost stands at Rs44 per unit”, he added.
Leghari also asked the nation to endure “two-hour of loadshedding” which according to him, could result in significant savings of up to Rs50 billion’ “Another measure to save electricity is switching fans to energy efficient,” he said, adding that the government has chalked out new power plan to eliminate loadshedding.
Leghari noted that the nation would receive a “good news” regarding independent power producers (IPPs) soon. “We secretly began work on IPPs, but the news leaked from the ministry,” he said. He also announced that the government is planning to establish new power plants to address the issue of load-shedding. The minister said the task force has been constituted, in which the law enforcement agencies’ officials have also been included.