The government has devised an energy conservation plan aimed at cutting the import bill and stabilizing the economy, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Thursday, stressing that “extraordinary situations” require “extraordinary measures.”
In a series of posts on Twitter, she said the plan had been prepared by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and was granted preliminary approval in an economic huddle presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office. It would be presented to the federal cabinet in its next meeting for final approval, she said, adding that all chief ministers would also be invited so the plan could be implemented jointly between the provinces and the center.
According to Aurangzeb, the plan calls for a crackdown on electricity theft, as well as expediting the conversion of private and government buildings to solar energy. “The primary purpose of the Emergency Energy Saving Plan is to reduce the pressure on the public and the economy, as the price of fuel, including oil, continues to rise in the global market,” she added.
The information minister stressed that “extraordinary measures” are merited to tackle the prevailing “extraordinary situation” and every Pakistani would need to play their role. “All the provinces must implement the National Conservation Plan together,” she said. “The prime minister has said that saving energy is essential for Pakistan’s survival,” she added.
According to officials who attended the meeting, the participants were informed that the energy-saving plan could potentially save billions of dollars annually and bolster the country’s foreign exchange reserves. They said that it called for closing markets earlier to reduce electricity consumption and also implementing a weekly day to work-from-home. As part of measures to tackle electricity theft, they said, bill collection could be outsourced to the private sector.