Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday announced the incumbent government's plan to save energy and reduce its consumption nationwide.
A federal cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in which important decisions related to energy saving were approved, including the decision to close markets at 8:30 pm and marriage halls at 10 pm.
Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Khawaja Asif said that we need to "change our lifestyle" and stated that the energy conservation plan approved by the cabinet is to be implemented throughout the country.“This policy will save us Rs60 billion," Asif maintained.
He noted that many countries were already running on energy-efficient models, however, Pakistan’s markets and offices remained open past midnight.
The defence minister furthered that the production of fans running on electricity will be stopped by July. He stated that inefficient fans use around 120-130 watts of electricity, and globally fans consuming less energy were available.
He added that the import duty on “inefficient” fans would be increased.
Asif also revealed that after February 1 incandescent bulbs would not be manufactured and additional taxes will be imposed on the ones that were imported. He stated that an additional Rs22 billion could be saved by the initiative.
“No lights were on in the cabinet meeting today. The meeting was held in full sunlight,” he said, providing an example for the country to follow.
He said that the federal cabinet planned to conserve 30% of the electricity used by government departments, which would save Rs62 billion. The plan includes all government and court buildings, officers and housing societies.
Asif also said that the government had decided to use street lights alternatively which he claimed would save Rs4 billion.
Additionally, the cabinet decided that only half of all street lights would remain powered on across the nation which would save Rs4 billion, the minister claimed.
The minister also disapproved of shops opening at noon or 1 pm, and maintained that the nation should make use of the natural sunlight and maximise its use in homes as well.
Moreover, the government is to make the use of conical geysers mandatory within a year as they used less gas than traditional geysers and could help save Rs92 billion.
Furthermore, he said that the government would be introducing electric motorcycles this year. “Pakistan is using oil worth $3 billion annually. These e-bikes will be slightly expensive but we will provide financing and the costs will hopefully be covered within a year.”
He added that the federal cabinet has directed the formation of a committee to look into the work-from-home policy and the process will be completed within eight to 10 days.
The minister said that the government has discussed the conservation plan with traders from across the country and a consensus has been reached.
The president was also briefed on the plan for which he provided constructive feedback and support.
The plan, approved by the cabinet on the recommendation of the power division, will be enforced immediately and monitored by the cabinet.
Awareness campaigns related to energy saving will also be conducted through print, electronic and social media as well as on private TV channels and radio channels through PEMRA.
