The federal government is considering increasing the monthly electricity consumption limit for relief from 200 units to 250 units, Energy Minister Awais Leghari has said. The government is also reviewing the existing relief policy, with a possible shift towards assessing consumers' financial circumstances and poverty levels rather than electricity consumption alone.
Speaking during Question Hour in the Senate, Leghari said the number of consumers using up to 200 units of electricity per month had reached approximately 20 million. According to the minister, many of these consumers use solar energy.
He said financially well-off households can install solar systems and reduce their grid electricity consumption to below 200 units, prompting the government to reconsider the current relief mechanism.
The government is working on a possible system under which assistance would be determined by poverty and financial need rather than the number of electricity units consumed. Leghari also stressed the need to review electricity tariff slabs to address problems faced by consumers.
The energy minister said the power sector's circular debt had declined to Rs1.67 trillion. The government's target is to eliminate the debt over the next four years and abolish the debt servicing surcharge during the same period.
He added that budgetary support for the Ministry of Energy had fallen from Rs1.18 trillion when the current government took office to Rs700 billion in the current year.
According to Leghari, losses incurred by electricity distribution companies have also declined annually, although the benefits have not yet been passed on to consumers.
Senator Abid Sher Ali raised concerns about electricity tariffs and the financial burden on households. He said electricity bills remained unaffordable even for protected consumers.
He also questioned the impact of crossing the 200-unit threshold by just one unit, which can lead to a substantial increase in a consumer's bill. He asked whether ordinary consumers were also bearing the cost of electricity theft and distribution losses.
The Senate session also witnessed objections from the opposition over the low attendance of government members. Proceedings were temporarily suspended after a quorum was questioned and resumed once the required attendance was restored.
Meanwhile, journalists staged a walkout from the parliamentary press galleries to protest over their concerns. They ended the protest after senators from the government and opposition sides assured them that their issues would be addressed.
The proposed change to the electricity relief policy remains under consideration. No final decision has yet been announced on raising the monthly limit to 250 units or introducing a poverty-based system for determining eligibility.
