Secretary Power Claims Almost 60% Pakistanis Get Electricity at Rs. 10 Per Unit

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Power on Wednesday at Parliament House, under the Chairmanship of Senator Mohsin Aziz. Secretary Power Division informed the committee that the repayment of circular debt has been linked to the already implemented debt servicing surcharge and assured that no additional burden would be imposed on consumers. He added that the government has attempted to control the increase in circular debt by reducing electricity subsidies. Senator Mohsin Aziz questioned that despite surplus electricity availability in the country, why is load shedding still being carried out. The Secretary told the committee that Power losses have been reduced and efficiency has been improved. The load shedding is being implemented in areas with high electricity theft and we are trying to bring technology down to the transformer level to curb electricity theft. K-Electric officials briefed the committee that they have total 2,100 feeders out of which load shedding does not occur on 70 percent of these feeders. However, approximately 30 percent of the feeders experience load shedding due to high rates of electricity theft in those areas. Moreover, they added that consumer electricity bills have been divided into installments to facilitate payments. The chairman of the committee observed that the slab system for electricity units is very strict and proposed that it should be evaluated based on the annual average. Secretary Power Division informed the committee that 58 percent of their consumers fall under the “protected” category. He added that 58 percent of Pakistan’s population receives electricity at a rate of Rs. 10 per unit. The Secretary further stated that, with approval from international financial institutions, the government is set to provide Rs. 250 billion in subsidies. He also highlighted the introduction of a scheme allowing consumers to submit their own meter readings. So far, 500,000 users have downloaded the app, and around 250,000 have registered themselves on the platform. The meeting was attended by Senators Poonjo Bheel, Sherry Rehman, Syed Shibli Faraz, Syed Kazim Ali Shah, Haji Hiidayatullah Khan and senior management from the Ministry/relevant departments.