'Power subsidy from Punjab budget'

ISLAMABAD:

As the opposition slams the government over its "Punjab-centric" power subsidy, senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has clarified that the provincial government's Rs14 per unit subsidy will be financed through its own budget.

In a bid to what she called "propaganda" surrounding the current economic climate, denounced the attempts to incite conflicts between the provinces.

The minister's clarification came a day after Punjab's Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman told The Express Tribune that the total subsidy amounted to approximately Rs90 billion, not the Rs45 billion initially claimed by some government officials. He revealed that Rs45 billion would come from the provincial government, with the remaining half being coughed up by the federal government.

Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Marriyum sought to "put an end to the propaganda" she claimed was being spread by those who have exacerbated the economic crisis.

"Due to the propaganda, they are inciting conflicts between provinces, so it was important to clarify today that the Punjab government is providing relief from its own budget," she asserted.

Marriyum explained that the Punjab government was funding the subsidy by tightening its belt, cutting expenditures, and reallocating resources from various programs. "The energy department has been providing estimates to help the provincial government meet its targets," she added.

She also noted that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif had urged other provinces to trim their budgets and extend similar relief to their citizens. "We would be delighted if similar relief could be provided in provinces such as K-P, Sindh, and Balochistan," she said.

Aurangzeb said that the Punjab government, with improved governance and policy adjustments, was now able to offer affordable roti to its people. "But instead of appreciating the power tariff reduction, falsehoods and propaganda are being spread and the matter is being politicised," she lamented.

Sindh, K-P unable to provide Punjab-style power relief

The provincial governments of Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have declined to emulate the Punjab government providing immediate relief to the general public in their electricity bills.

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab and K-P Finance Adviser Muzzammil Aslam have stated that their respective provincial administrations would not be able to offer any instant relief in power tariff.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Wahab, who also serves as the Mayor of Karachi, revealed that offering two months of relief to the people of Sindh would cost Rs10 billion.

Similarly, a two-month relief package in K-P would cost Rs8 billion, while in Balochistan, it would amount to Rs1 billion. Aslam highlighted that both K-P and Sindh generated low-cost electricity, whereas Punjab produced more expensive power.