Power consumers: Punjab govt to give Rs45bn subsidy for 2 months: Nawaz

LAHORE: Announcing that the PML-N-led Punjab government has decided to bring Rs 14 per unit relief in the bills of power consumers using below 500 units, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that Maryam Nawaz’s government has decided to give a record Rs 45 billion subsidy to the electricity consumer for two months, ie, August and September.

He disclosed this while talking to media, here. He was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.

The PML-N President also urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide relief in power prices and launch a solar programme similar to the one launched by the Punjab government. He said he was continuously urging the Punjab CM and the PM to reduce inflation.

He further said that everything was destroyed when former Prime Minister Imran Khan came into power. He said that he served the nation devotedly but now his heart is feeling pain after seeing the devastation and poverty in the country. He urged the nation to never fall prey to the conspirators.

Nawaz attributed the skyrocketing cost of living to the PTI government, saying that it was the Imran Khan-led regime that brought the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back to the country. He said the price hike commenced in the PTI government and he realizes the pain the people of Pakistan are going through. The PML-N government, he added, is not behind the current price hike.

The PML-N president said that he put an end to the load-shedding before the termination of his five-year term. “We surmounted the power crisis in three years,” he added. He also said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz are focused on providing facilities to the oppressed segments of society.

Nawaz also lauded the work of the Punjab Chief Minister in the health, education and other sectors. He said that the initiatives of the Punjab government would provide relief to the poor consumers. He also lauded her for launching a solar panel scheme at Rs 700 billion for the middle and lower class, adding that he was depressed after seeing the electricity bills of the poor people.

Nawaz Sharif further said that his government was removed under a conspiracy in 2017 when the country was progressing with record-low inflation. He added that during his tenure, electricity bills were only Rs 600 and now power bills of the poor have crossed Rs 18,000 per month, which is injustice. “During my government, the PML-N had focused on setting up electricity units with China’s help,” he added.

He said that he was feeling low after his government was removed through a conspiracy and the judges were involved in the conspiracy against his government. He averred that the PML-N government brought the dollar to Rs 95 and later managed it at Rs 104 till the removal of his government by a few judges on the plea that he did not take a salary from his son. “Why was my government removed,” he added.

He said that he would continue to raise questions as to why a PM was removed and why no one has questioned the judges who committed injustice with the country. He added that the PML-N government had said goodbye to the IMF and the world was praising Pakistan for freeing itself from the IMF nexus.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024