Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has hinted at an increase in the electricity loadshedding in the month of July, saying the government is trying its "level best to avoid the power outages". "The prices of gas and oil have increased exorbitantly globally and we are trying our best [to tackle the issue] though it is overwhelming," the premier said while addressing MNAs from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the ruling alliance in Islamabad on Monday. He added that Pakistan didn't receive the tendered shipments as gas was entirely bought by Europe in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. "The nation shouldn't worry [as] we're trying our best [but] it's entirely possible that there may be an increase in loadshedding in July for a few days." https://ift.tt/MkW27sO "I am saying this because it is possible [though] we are making efforts to keep it at the lowest," PM Shehbaz, who is also the president of the ruling PML-N, said. He also announced on the occasion that the country will begin importing inexpensive coal from Afghanistan in July and use it for generating electricity. The government will also introduce a programme relating to solar power to ease power woes, he added. “The [coal] import will help the country save $2 billion annually,” he said, adding, “We will receive it in half the amount of the coal we imported earlier but it will be of the same efficiency.” He told the lawmakers that the country had successfully avoided a default through it was brought at the brink of bankruptcy of it by the previous government. On the foreign financial support, he said it was good to seek technical assistance from the allied nations, but the “times of carrying a begging bowl” is gone. Also read: NEPRA approves Rs7.90 hike in power tariff The prime minister also told the participants that the terms and conditions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would soon be agreed upon, adding that they had put forth really tough conditions. The government, he added, is also working to boost the production of cotton and wheat. According to the premier, Pakistan has successfully avoided an edible oil crisis. He also said that the direct tax has been imposed on the earnings of owners of different sectors, saying it was for the first time that tax had been imposed on the wealthy lot. “By doing so, we hope to collect more than Rs200 billion from them.” Concluding, Shehbaz said: “Good times are ahead and the coalition government will definitely bring a change with their efforts.”
from Punjab News Updates and Insights - The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/lcygZ6z
No comments:
Post a Comment