The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to provide free solar systems to one lakh families across the province.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has instructed officials to provide solar systems to impoverished families experiencing load shedding in the province. Under this initiative, each eligible family in Pakhtunkhwa will receive a 2 KV solar system.
These include solar panels, inverters, wiring equipment, bulbs, and fans.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the provision of solar panels to households consuming 50 to 500 units of electricity monthly under the provincial government’s “Roshan Gharana Programme.”
The Chief Minister presided over a meeting of the Energy Department on Monday, saying, “The Punjab government will provide solar systems to crores of consumers consuming electricity from 50 to 500 units, and 90 percent of the solar panels’ cost will be paid by the provincial government and 10 percent by consumers.”
Furthermore, she also said that the government will not leave people alone in difficult situations. “Programme beneficiaries will pay the government-provided amount in easy instalments in five years,” she stated.
“Through a transparent procedure, solar systems will be given to the poorest families in phase-I”, the Chief Minister clarified.
In the latest price fluctuation to hit the market, an increase in electricity cost has been followed by a rise in prices of solar panels and other electronic goods.
Within a span of one week alone, prices for electronics in the markets have increased by 20 per cent.
It has been reported that electronic equipment have become more expensive in link with the increase in electricity prices i.e. by Rs 7.05 per unit.
Likewise, the prices of solar plates have also increased by 20 per cent.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in Pakistan has uncovered a massive case of money laundering and under-invoicing in the trade industry, making it one of the country’s biggest financial scandals.
Following a thorough investigation by auditors, the FBR took legal action against two companies based in Peshawar. They found that these companies were involved in a staggering money laundering operation worth Rs47 billion, which they officially termed ‘trade-based money laundering.’
According to the FBR’s report, these companies allegedly caused a massive financial loss of Rs25 billion to the national exchequer by under-invoicing transactions, all under the guise of dealing with solar panels.
In the FIR, the owners of these companies, Moon Light Traders and Bright Star, were named as suspects. The report revealed that Bright Star had been involved in under-invoicing since 2013, while auditors scrutinised records of 705 Goods Declarations (GDs) related to Moon Light Traders.
Furthermore, it was discovered that these companies continued their money laundering activities from 2017 to 2022. According to ARY News, the FBR promptly shared its report on trade-based money laundering and under-invoicing with the Caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar.
In a separate incident in September, the FBR exposed a massive tax fraud worth Rs314 billion perpetrated by a fictitious company called K H & Sons. This fraud was uncovered by the Director-General of Internal Audit at Inland Revenue’s team.
Interestingly, K H & Sons was a paper company registered under the name of a Benami individual, Muhammad Kashif. Their fabricated documents falsely claimed to be in the iron and steel business, using addresses of legitimate markets like Liaquat Market, Agri Market, and M.A. Jinnah Market.
Sources also revealed that this bogus company was used for various illegal activities. What’s surprising is that despite the large-scale tax fraud, the FBR had not taken legal action against the culprits, leading to concerns that they might flee the country if a First Information Report (FIR) was not filed promptly.
In an official statement, Muhammad Ali, the Caretaker Minister for Energy and Petroleum, has provided clarity on the government’s stance regarding incentives for solar net metering. Addressing recent speculation in the media and on social platforms, he affirmed that the government has no intentions of reducing the incentives associated with solar net metering, particularly the rate of Rs19.
“There were talks of a change in the rate of solar net metering in media and social media that the government is reducing the net metering rate from Rs19. I want to clarify and ensure that we are not taking any such measure,” he said.
Furthermore, Ali announced the government’s upcoming initiative to introduce a special incremental tariff for industrial electricity users before October 31. This endeavor is aimed at ensuring affordable electricity for industrial sectors, thereby relieving some of the financial burden on energy consumers.
In its ongoing efforts to support energy consumers during the winter season, the government is actively working on devising a special tariff designed to mitigate expenses for this specific period.
Ali also disclosed the government’s rigorous measures to combat electricity theft, which includes a nationwide crackdown on the illegal activity. He reported that individuals implicated in electricity theft within distribution and other utility companies have been reassigned, and comprehensive actions are being taken against them. Additionally, a crackdown against gas theft has been initiated to curb such practices.
Previously, reports had suggested that the government was contemplating the issuance of an ordinance to further regulate net metering. This decision was prompted by concerns that the installation of solar panels on rooftops had inadvertently increased capacity payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Notably, the proposed ordinance is expected to include provisions criminalizing non-payment of electricity bills, as reported by Geo News.
Pakistan Army is all set to generate electricity for its garrisons and establishments across Pakistan to cut their expenditure on power which is estimated to be around Rs 15 billion for 240 MW (megawatt), a private news outlet has reported.
As per reports, the Pakistan army is planning on harnessing renewable energy through solar parks with an aim to establish 1-5MW solar parks in each garrison. The pilot project will generate 40MW energy and no public money will be used on solar parks for 25 years.
This step will reduce the burden on the Army’s budget as a huge portion of it goes to electricity payments to various electricity distribution companies, and the costs are rising due to increasing tariffs.
The Defence Division has informed the federal cabinet that army possesses robust distribution systems, which means that it can easily shift to renewable energy alternatives.
The division has sought the government’s approval for making the payment on account of purchasing equipment from private companies offering solar solutions, adding that it will be at least 20-30% cheaper than DICSOs.
The cabinet was also informed that the stakeholders including Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), Power Division and Finance Division have also endorsed the electricity project.