ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy Awais Ahmed Leghari has said the government is working to ease the burden of additional electricity charges on consumers whose monthly usage exceeds 200 units by a small margin. The government is also considering raising the monthly consumption limit for protected consumers from 200 to 250 units.
During a Senate session, Senator Abid Sher Ali questioned the existing electricity tariff structure, asking why consumers who use just one additional unit—taking their consumption from 200 to 201 units—have to face substantially higher bills.
He urged the government not to shift the burden of power theft and inefficiencies within electricity distribution companies onto ordinary consumers.
Responding to the concerns, Leghari said work was under way to address the issue of consumers facing additional charges for six months after exceeding the 200-unit threshold. He indicated that relief could be introduced within the next six weeks.
According to the minister, approximately 20 million consumers use less than 200 units of electricity per month. However, he noted that this category also includes households with solar power systems, meaning that low grid consumption does not necessarily indicate financial hardship.
He said the government aimed to ensure that relief reached deserving and low-income households.
During the session, Leghari also stated that Pakistan’s circular debt had declined to Rs1,670 billion. He added that eliminating the debt servicing surcharge over the next four years was among the government’s targets.
