Govt extends austerity measures until June 30, grocery store hours to 10pm
- Friday consular services approved
A committee led by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar reviewed austerity measure exemptions, extended their implementation, and adjusted operating hours for consular services and grocery stores.
- Exemption requests from various government ministries.
- Extension of additional austerity measures until June 30.
- Revised operating hours for grocery stores and consular services.
A meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, was held in Islamabad on Sunday to review requests for exemptions from the government’s austerity regime and assess the implementation of energy-saving measures.
The committee reviewed a number of cases submitted by various ministries and divisions seeking exemptions from specific austerity measures and finalised its recommendations accordingly.
To facilitate the public, the committee decided that consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat and Lahore would remain operational on Fridays as well.
The committee also recommended extending the implementation period of additional austerity measures, which were due to expire on June 13, until June 30.
In a move aimed at easing business operations, it was decided that standalone grocery and kiryana stores would be allowed to remain open until 10pm throughout the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.
The meeting was attended by the ministers for Petroleum, Climate Change, and IT & Telecom; the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on Finance; the special assistant to the deputy prime minister (SADPM); the secretaries of cabinet, commerce, petroleum, and IT & telecom; as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant ministries and divisions.
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