Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar has announced on Friday an increase in the Electricity Prices from November 1. The minister said that the government has proposed NEPRA to increase the power tariff by Rs. 1.39 per unit from next month in light of the increasing circular debt of the country.
However, the minister said that 46 percent of domestic consumers were using less than 200 units and these individuals will not be affected by the increase in electricity prices. He added that the hike in power tariff will also not have any impact on the industrial package, which was introduced by the government last year.
The government is also launching a ‘Seasonal Electricity Package’ under which consumers will get an extra discount for suing extra units preceding their last year’s usage. Azhar outlined measures taken to improve recoveries and losses in the power sector. “The circular debt was increasing at a rate of Rs450 billion when PTI formed the government,” he said.
Electricity Prices Increased Because of Previous Governments
The Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar also clarified that the increase in power tariff is only because of wrong decisions taken by the previous governments. According to him, the previous government had installed costly power houses and the current government is trying its best to reduce the circular debt.
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