PM Shehbaz directs provinces to fully support  anti-electricity theft campaign. Federal cabinet approves legislatio

ISLAMABAD   -   Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met with President Asif Ali Zardari where they discussed the country’s overall economic situation with a particular focus on extending relief to the people in the upcoming annual budget 2024-25.

Federal Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal also attended the meeting, according to a President House press release. President Zardari emphasised that the interests of the low-income and middle class should be protected in the annual budget. He also assured the prime minister of his support for the national development and achievement of fiscal targets.

Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Zardari also deliberated on the development projects to be proposed in the next budget. The prime minister apprised the president of his recent five-day visit to China.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed to establish an effective and dynamic customer service system in the offices of distribution companies for timely registration of complaints related to non-supply of electricity. He issued these directives while presiding over a review meeting in Islamabad, regarding electricity load shedding, prevention of electricity theft and reforms in the energy sector. The prime minister further directed the authorities concerned to observe minimum load shedding in view of rising scorching heat.

He said the procurement of new transformers should be made as per the specifications of international standard. He said the prevailing modern system should be analyzed for reforms in the energy sector.

Shehbaz Sharif directed the provincial governments to fully support the anti-electricity theft campaign and to award strict punishments to the electricity thieves. He also directed to address the issue of over-billing in the country.

The PM was briefed regarding the progress made so far in the revamping  the National Transmission and Dispatch Company. The meeting was informed that more than thirty thousand cases have been registered and 90 employees have been arrested in connection with over billing from April 1st to May 30.

In connection with reforms in the energy sector, a project for metering over one hundred and twenty four thousand transformers has also been included in the next year’s development budget.

Similarly, one-third consumers of IESCO are also being transferred on smart meters with the support of the Asian Development Bank, which will later be expanded to rest of the country.

A briefing was also given in the meeting regarding demand and supply of electricity and load shedding in the country. It was informed that the areas where dues recovery is better have been declared load shedding free, while only partial load-shedding is being done in areas which are in default list.

The Prime Minister was also informed about the progress achieved so far in the anti-electricity theft campaign in the country.

Also, the federal cabinet on Tuesday principally approved the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2024 providing to establish the National Digital Commission and Pakistan Digital Authority besides ensuring digitization of national economy and paperless governance.

The cabinet which met under the chair of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, asked the law ministry to carry out the required review of the Act, which also aimed at digitizing the services sector in accordance with international standards.

Under the Act, the National Digital Commission would act as a policymaking organisation, to be headed by the prime minister and comprising federal and provincial members.

Moreover, a Pakistan Digital Authority would be established to achieve the objectives of Digital Pakistan.

Being a corporate entity, the Authority would have financial and administrative autonomy.

Apprising the members of his recent visit to China and his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, the prime minister mentioned his conversation with Chinese leadership on second phase of CPEC-II. He said that a high-powered Chinese delegation would visit Pakistan to further expand the bilateral cooperation.

He told the meeting that B2B meetings were held between the businessmen and investors of Pakistan and China at the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzhen.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said the government would send around 1,000 youngsters to China for professional training in innovations and technology in the agriculture sector.

Moreover, Huawei would also annually train 200,000 Pakistani youngsters in different fields of information technology, he added.

The federal cabinet approved the appointment of members of the National School for Public Policy from both the public and private education sectors.

On the recommendation of the human rights ministry, a cabinet committee was constituted to initiate the appointment of a member from Islamabad in the National Commission for Human Rights.

The meeting principally approved The Arbitration Bill 2024 and relevant consultation with the provinces under Article 144 of the constitution, and the signing of an MoU between the National Accountability Bureau and Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption to promote cooperation against bribery and illegal flow of money.

The federal cabinet endorsed the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises taken on May 13 and 20, 2024, the Economic Coordination Committee’s decisions of May 23 and 27, 2024, and those of the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases made on June 5.