Photo courtesy Government of Punjab
Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz on Monday announced the provincial government will—from Aug. 1—not collect any power bills from households consuming less than 100 units of electricity per month.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he said the Punjab government would bear the costs as part of relief measures designed to reduce pressure on the impoverished amidst rampant inflation. He said the government had set aside Rs. 100 billion for the targeted relief program, adding that it would benefit nine million households. “This will also act as an incentive for those who use more than 100 units of electricity to save energy,” he said.
According to the chief minister, any consumer who had used less than 100 units of electricity in the past six months would qualify for the facility. He said the government was also working to provide solar panels to the impoverished to develop alternative forms of energy and end the need for utility bills altogether.
“I was told not to take big decisions without a cabinet to steer under-developed areas out of difficult economic conditions,” he said during his address. “I was warned it could become a NAB [National Accountability Bureau] case, but I said I am ready to face any difficulty to provide relief to the people,” he said, stressing that he had been working to ensure relief for the needy from the day he took office.
Summarizing initiatives introduced by his administration, the chief minister recalled he had introduced a flour subsidy of Rs. 200 billion, allowing for a 10-kilogram bag of wheat flour to be sold at a discount of Rs. 160 in Punjab province. Similarly, he said, free medicines were now being provided at all district and tehsil headquarters hospitals in the province. “The steps taken for providing subsidized flour, free medicines and electricity are not meant for any political gains, but to alleviate the sufferings of the people,” he stressed.
Shehbaz also sought to reassure his audience of the country’s prevailing economic situation, saying that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program would soon resume and international donors return, resulting in the economic situation normalizing.