Govt working to end 200-unit condition on power relief, minister tells Senate
Power Minister Awais Leghari told the Senate the government is working to end extra charges for consumers who cross 200 units by one unit. He said the limit may be raised to 250 units and relief may be tied to poverty.
- The 200-unit limit may be raised to 250 units, the power minister said.
- The government is working on relief based on poverty rather than units used.
- The minister said around 20 million consumers use up to 200 units.
Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari told the Senate on Tuesday that the government is working to change how electricity relief is given to consumers. He said the aim is to move away from the 200-unit limit and offer relief based on poverty.
Speaking during the session, he said the government is also considering raising the 200-unit limit to 250 units. According to Express News and Daily Pakistan, he said the government is working to end the practice under which a consumer who exceeds 200 units by even one unit faces higher charges for six months.
Leghari said the number of consumers using up to 200 units has reached 20 million. He said giving a discount to everyone below 200 units is not appropriate, because this group includes people with solar systems whose grid units fall as a result. He said better-off people install solar to bring their units under 200 and benefit from the concession.
He said the government is working on a plan to give relief to people living below the poverty line, and that tariff slabs need to be set so the problem does not recur. According to 24 News, he said a targeted subsidy system would be introduced soon.
Senator Abid Sher Ali raised the issue. He said that when consumption goes from 200 to 201 units, the rate rises from 15 rupees to 30 rupees per unit, according to Geo News as cited by Daily Pakistan. He asked whether the burden of power theft by distribution companies was being placed on poor people.
On the wider energy sector, Leghari told the House that circular debt has fallen to 1,670 billion rupees, according to Express News. He said the target is to end circular debt over the next four years, and that the debt service surcharge on it would also end in that period. 24 News quoted him as saying it was around 1.6 trillion rupees.
He said the ministry received 1,180 billion rupees in budget support when the government took office, and this has fallen to 700 billion rupees this year. He said distribution company losses have fallen every year, but consumers have not yet seen the benefit.
The Senate session was disrupted by a lack of quorum and was adjourned until 3pm on Thursday.
Why it matters
The 200-unit limit decides which households get cheaper electricity, so a change would affect power bills for many families across Pakistan.
