Govt declares Friday holiday to save energy

PM orders strict enforcement of austerity measures

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved declaring Friday as an additional weekly holiday as part of the government's austerity and energy conservation measures, while directing all federal ministries and divisions to strictly implement the policy.

Chairing a review meeting at the Prime Minister's House, the premier said the government was making every possible effort to keep the national economy stable despite the prevailing global and regional challenges.

He informed the meeting that a special committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had been constituted to review the implementation of austerity and energy conservation measures on a daily basis and submit reports.

The prime minister also directed that the austerity measures adopted by government departments should undergo a third-party audit to evaluate their impact and ensure transparency and effectiveness.

He instructed ministries and institutions to send photographs to the Cabinet Division of vehicles taken out of operation under the austerity policy, while each ministry was also directed to submit reports to the Prime Minister's Office on steps taken to improve work-from-home arrangements.

The meeting was informed that all federal ministries and divisions would submit daily and weekly reports to the special committee regarding the implementation of energy-saving measures and workforce management.

In a separate meeting reviewing the affairs of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the prime minister directed authorities to bring maximum productive sectors under automated monitoring systems to enhance tax collection and curb tax evasion.

He stressed the need to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and appreciated the economic team for inducting experts into the executive team of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) on merit to transform the organisation into a more efficient institution.

Officials briefed the meeting that technology-based monitoring systems had already been implemented in sectors such as sugar, cement, cigarettes and fertiliser, contributing to higher tax collection.

Similar systems are being introduced in the textile, leather, paper, automobile and beverage sectors, which are expected to generate billions of rupees in additional tax revenue.