September 01, 2022: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday enhanced the limit of the waiver on fuel adjustment charges in electricity bills from the existing 200 to 300 units.
Addressing the members of national and provincial assemblies, he said the step was aimed at facilitating the common man already facing the brunt of inflation.
The prime minister proposed to waive off the electricity bills of the consumers in flood-affected areas, besides exempting the farmers from ‘abiyana' (water charges on crop irrigation). He also announced to launch in near future a solar program for the production of 10,000 mega-watt of electricity as a cost-effective mode across the country.
He said the solar program would generate electricity at the rate of Rs9 per unit, saving billions spent on expensive electricity production.
The prime minister mentioned that Pakistan was facing extreme challenges while meeting the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), particularly taking steps to give subsidy on electricity.
"The coalition government in four months faced challenges like economic instability as the predecessors made every effort to push the country onto the brink of default," he added.
The prime minister mentioned that the previous government in the last around four years did not provide even a bit of relief to the common man and also did not fulfill the requirements of IMF.
“Pakistan has to learn from its mistakes with a determination to overcome every challenge with resilience,” he said.
