National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy Wednesday approved 156 projects of Power Division and its attached departments, which would be incorporated in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the year 2018-19.
The committee meeting, chaired by Chaudhry Bilal Ahmed Virk, was informed that foreign funds amounting to Rs80.81 billion, out of total Rs193 billion, would be utilized in execution of different projects during the next fiscal year.
Minister for Power Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said the federal government was providing Rs 24 billion annual subsidy to 30,000 tube-wells operating in Balochistan for irrigation purpose, while Rs 30 billion subsidy was given by the provincial government.
This year, he said, efforts were being made to switch over around 10,000 tube-wells to solar energy, while remaining 20,000 would be converted to solar power in next two years.
Leghari asked electricity consumers to install the ‘Roshan Pakistan’ mobile application, which is a step forward towards providing them billing details and information regarding load-shedding schedule, besides estimated bill by just entering consumed units.
In April, he hinted that high line-loss areas would witness more load-shedding as the government could not afford excessive subsidy for the localities where electricity theft was on the rise.
The minister warned the energy officers to come up with full preparation to brief the parliamentarians on different projects in next meeting, adding that today was the era of information technology and they should keep with them laptops, containing all required information.
The committee was informed that the Petroleum Division had sent four new projects to the Planning Commission seeking approval for next fiscal year.
Chairperson of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Uzma Adil apprised the body that Sui Northern Gas Company Limited was given approval to issue 300,000 connections every year.
Keeping in the number of increased number of applications, the authority was in process of according approval to issue one million gas connections, she added.
