Govt will provide cheap electricity to consumers, Senate told

ISLAMABAD: Energy Minister Omar Ayub on Friday told the Senate that the government was focusing on increasing share of renewable energy to provide cheap electricity to consumers.
Relaying the Upper House during question hour, he said that the government was striving to bring electricity price to 4.35 rupees per unit by introducing renewable energy projects.
The minister told the House that the previous governments preferred costly RLNG projects instead of using renewable sources.
Also Read: PTV to add Rs100 in customers’ electricity bill
Minister for Housing and Works, Tariq Bashir Cheema also informed the Senate that allotment of houses to the federal government employees was absolutely being done on merit and according to the rules.
Leader of the House Shibli Faraz has said national interest stood first in our foreign policy.
Speaking on a point of public importance in the House, he said China was a time tested friend and it had always supported Pakistan at every forum.
The Leader of the House said China had invested in Pakistan which had paved the way for foreign investment. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Davos had categorically rejected criticism on China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Shibli Faraz said that soon Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will brief the House about Prime Minister’s activities at the World Economic Forum.
The House will now meet on Monday at 3:00 pm.
This is pertinent here to mention that the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has decided to increase the license fee from Rs35 to Rs 100 to address its annual financial losses of Rs 17bn.
The additional amount will be credited to customers’ electricity bills.
Energy customers, who have already faced a tariff rise of 40 percent in the past 18 months, will now have to suffer the operating costs of cash-less state-run television.
The board of directors has approved a financial plan that will finalize the license fee increase. The proposal now is pending approval by Prime Minister Imran Khan.