LAHORE: The Punjab government‘s move to provide Rs 14 subsidy on electricity bills for consumers using 201 to 500 units may benefit only a small section of the population, here on Sunday.
Citing official data, sources revealed that only 14 percent of electricity consumers in the country consume more than 200 units of electricity per month, that is, a majority of 86 percent consume up to 200 units of electricity per month, and therefore do not benefit from this subsidy.
This limited reach raises questions about the overall impact of the subsidy, as it targets only a narrow segment of the population. The move, which is aimed at easing the burden of rising power prices, may not offer the massive relief the government had initially hoped for.
Former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Friday announced major relief for electricity consumers in Punjab, focusing on providing relief to low-income households.
Addressing the press conference, the PML-N supremo said that consumers using up to 500 units of electricity will get a relief of Rs 14 per unit.
Sharif appreciated the efforts of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz in providing relief to the people and announced that she will start a solar panel scheme to provide more relief.
He further said that the Punjab government has allocated 700 billion rupees for the solar panel scheme, which will help further reduce electricity bills in the future.
The relief package includes a relief of Rs 14 per unit for consumers using up to 500 units, which will result in a loss of Rs 45 billion to the Punjab government.
