'Punjab's electricity subsidy only impact limited consumers'

LAHORE: The Punjab government’s initiative to provide Rs 14 subsidy on electricity bills for consumers using between 201 to 500 units may benefit only a small fraction of the population, ARY News reported on Sunday, citing sources.

Quoting the official data, sources disclosed that just 14 percent of electricity consumers in the country use more than 200 units of electricity per month, meaning the vast majority—86 percent—consume up to 200 units monthly and thus won’t benefit from this subsidy.

This limited reach raises questions about the overall impact of the subsidy, as it only targets a narrow segment of the population. The move, intended to ease the burden of rising electricity costs, may not offer the broad relief initially anticipated by the government.

On Friday, former Prime Minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has announced a major relief for electricity consumers in Punjab, with focus on providing relief to low-income households

Addressing a press conference, the PML-N supremo stated that consumers using up to 500 units of electricity will receive a relief of Rs 14 per unit.

Sharif praised Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz for her efforts in providing relief to the people and announced that she will be launching a solar panel scheme to provide further relief.

He added that the Punjab government has allocated Rs 700 billion 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 cost the Punjab government Rs 45 billion.