- Kh Asif says early closure of markets can help country save Rs62b
- Says politicians should be first ones to adopt austerity measures
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that the government would approach the provinces for implementation of a policy aimed at saving energy.
The announcement comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities concerned to take steps for reducing circular debt in the energy sector.
“The distribution companies of Sui gas should improve the system of recovery of bills and no additional burden should be put on gas and electricity consumers,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting of the Federal Cabinet ( 20 December 2022) pic.twitter.com/ugkYLbyNYk
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) December 20, 2022
According to power division, the circular debt which stood at Rs2.253 trillion by end of September last year had now reached Rs2.437 trillion, showing an increase of Rs185billion.
Briefing the media after a meeting of the federal cabinet, Asif that the PM had held several meetings on the issue and a final decision would be taken by Thursday.
He said that estimates had shown that if 20 percent of the government workforce worked from home on a rotation basis, Rs56 billion could be saved. “It is mainly about the nation limiting its lifestyle,” he said.
He further said that the timing of wedding halls would be limited to 10pm, while restaurants, hotels and markets would close down by 8pm. He, however, said that there may be some room for the closing time for restaurants to be extended by an hour.
The minister said that by implementing these few steps, the country would be able to save Rs62bn.
Asif said that the government was slowly working on shifting to renewable energy but until that was achieved, such measures were important.
He went on to say that energy-efficient fans and bulbs would soon be introduced in the market, which would further help save Rs38bn. “Similarly, if street lights are used alternatively, we would be able to save Rs4bn.”
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chairs a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Energy ( 20 December 2022) pic.twitter.com/HbeBtP9XLI
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) December 20, 2022
The minister also revealed that the government was in talks with motorcycle companies for electric bikes. “The motorcycles that run on petrol will slowly be phased out.
“We have begun imports for e-bikes and have started negotiations with motorcycle companies for the modification of existing motorcycles […] this will save us around Rs86bn,” he added.
If all these measures were translated, Asif continued, “you will see that a lot of money can be saved”.
He added that the Ministry of Information would be running a media campaign to spread awareness regarding these new measures among the public.
Talking about water conservation, the minister said that the government had devised ways through which rain water could be harvested and used for daily household consumption.
“In the next few days, we will be approaching all the provinces with this national project and then on Thursday the final approval of the conservation policy will be given,” Asif stated.
He then called on the nation to “normalise” its behavorial patterns as the country was in a “grave economic crisis”, adding that “we can’t afford the culture of wastage anymore”.
“I also believe that politicians should be the first ones to adopt these changes and become role models for the public,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Pakistan was surrounded by an economic crisis at present, but at the same time assured that the country would not default.
“The government is taking all the measures it should, but we also need a response from the public,” he stressed. “If we say that we won’t change our habits […] won’t give any sacrifices and expect the government to do everything […] this is not possible.”
Kaira highlighted that the biggest problem Pakistan was facing today was the increasing import bill and warned that if these measures were not taken “we won’t be able to pay the bill anymore”.
“Hence, it is extremely important for the people to cooperate with the government. We also expect the provinces to look at these measures for the prosperity of Pakistan,” he added.
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Cabinet discusses ‘austerity policy’ for judicious utilization of available resources
Earlier, rhe Federal Cabinet on Tuesday held a thorough discussion on the ‘austerity policy,’ which would be finalized in a couple of days by a committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to ensure judicious utilization of available resources.
“The PM has chaired 3-4 meetings of the committee during the last days. A conclusive meeting will be held on Thursday. We will discuss the policy with all provinces tomorrow and the day after tomorrow for getting their input. Their suggestions will be incorporated in the policy,” Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the media after the cabinet meeting.
He was flanked by Adviser to the PM on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.
The defence minister said the committee, working on the austerity policy and consisting of 10 federal ministers and four secretaries, was aimed at limiting the nation’s living and working styles within the available resources.
Elaborating main contours of the policy, Khawaja Asif said as per the estimates there would be a saving of around Rs 56 billion annually if the 20 percent workforce of the public sector departments started performing their duties online/working from home on rotation. “The estimate [of Rs 56 billion annual saving] is not inflated rather it is almost 10-15 percent less than the actual evaluation.”
He said the timings of wedding halls would be limited to 10 p.m., while restaurants, hotels, and markets would close down by 8 p.m., however, there could be some room to extend the restaurants’ closing time by one hour.
“With the implementation of this step, there will be a saving of Rs 62 billion [annually], he added.
