Ministerial committee formed on energy conservation roadmap

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved the formation of a high-powered committee to formulate long, medium and short-term strategies on the Energy efficiency and conservation measures implementation roadmap proposed by the Power Division.

The committee, to be headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, will consist of members including Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mehmood, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman and Minister for Board of Investment Ch. Salik Hussain.

The prime minister, while chairing the meeting of the federal cabinet, directed the Power ministry to give a detailed briefing next week regarding the power theft and line losses as well as the strategy to check it.

He also called for launching an appropriate public awareness campaign about energy conservation, a press release issued by the PM Media Wing here said.

The Prime Minister while referring to his October 10 visit to Thar said that cheaper electricity can be produced through Thar Coal Project. The premier further said that the project will help reduce the country’s US$ 24 billion energy import bill.

The federal cabinet, on the recommendation of Interior Ministry included Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Rwanda, Belarus and Slovakia in business visa list for the promotion of bilateral trade relations with these countries.

On the recommendation of Interior Ministry, the federal cabinet approved the family visa extension period from one to two years.

It also approved the issuance of 30 days non-extendable family visit category single entry visa on Travel / Asylum/ Temporary documents verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moreover, the federal cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Housing and Works, approved the allotment of 23 canal at Nabha Road Lahore to Supreme Court of Pakistan for Lahore Registry of the apex court.

The cabinet also endorsed decisions taken by Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) during its meetings on 30-09-2022 and 10-10-2022.

The cabinet expressing its serious concern over the incident of firing on a school bus in Swat strongly condemned it, prayed for those martyred in the incident as well as for early recovery of the injured children.