logo
Rs25bn allocated to provide relief through solarisation: minister

Rs25bn allocated to provide relief through solarisation: minister

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Development, Energy, and Planning, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, stated that an amount of Rs 25 billion has been allocated in the provincial budget to provide relief to the public through solarisation. He expressed his gratitude to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Chief Minister Sindh for this initiative.
Speaking to journalists at the media corner of the Sindh Assembly, Nasir Shah said that it is Chairman Bilawal Bhutto's vision to provide affordable and free electricity to the people of Sindh.
He emphasised that the government is actively working on providing solar panels and implementing solarisation projects, especially for the underprivileged and impoverished communities across the province. The Sindh Energy department is pursuing this effort with full commitment and as a top priority.
The minister for Energy and Planning further added that the block budget allocated in the financial plan will be used to implement various public welfare initiatives. Nasir Shah also stated that the ruling party has enough majority in the Assembly and does not need support or votes from others to pass the budget.
Commenting on the budget session, he criticised the opposition for disrupting Chief Minister Sindh's speech by approaching the CM's desk, which he described as inappropriate. Despite prior discussions and agreed speaking times with opposition members, such behavior was unjustified. He emphasized that leadership should not be targeted, and the opposition had earlier agreed on this principle.
He further stated that elected members of the Assembly are the voice of the people, and through block allocations, schemes based on their suggestions will be included in the budget. Nasir Shah termed the opposition's protest in the assembly as unconventional. He also accused the opposition leader of misrepresenting facts, stating that Ali Khurshidi came to Faryal Talpur, who pointed out that their approach was improper.
Nasir Shah reiterated that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) serves all communities across Sindh without any discrimination based on race or ethnicity. He added that the people have recognized the PPP's service through their continued support. Special attention is being given to the development of Karachi.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Agri development, farmer prosperity are top priorities of CM'
‘Agri development, farmer prosperity are top priorities of CM'

Business Recorder

timean hour ago

  • Business Recorder

‘Agri development, farmer prosperity are top priorities of CM'

LAHORE: Minister for Agriculture Punjab, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, has stated that agricultural development and farmer prosperity are among the foremost priorities of the Chief Minister Punjab. The present government is implementing revolutionary programs aimed at uplifting the agriculture sector and ensuring farmer welfare, which have already begun yielding positive outcomes across the province. However, some elements are attempting to distort the facts and spread misconceptions regarding these historic initiatives of the Punjab government. Minister Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani highlighted that within just one month of taking office, the Chief Minister Punjab initiated multiple agricultural development programs worth Rs. 400 billion — f or the first time in the history of Province. These programs included interest-free loans worth of billions of rupees through Kisan Card, provision of thousands of tractors on subsidy under the Green Tractors Program, and provision of modern agricultural machinery with up to 60% subsidy and many other initiatives. He added that this is the only Government in Pakistan's history during which no fertilizer shortage has been witnessed. Fertilizer is available in abundance in the market at prices even lower than those fixed by the manufacturers. Artificial shortages, profiteering, and hoarding of fertilizers have been completely eradicated from the province. He clarified that, during the current season, all provincial governments ceased official wheat procurement under the IMF agreement; however, Punjab remains the only province that extended direct financial support of Rs. 14 billion to small wheat farmers. During just a short period of two months, more than Rs. 85 billion in interest-free loans have been disbursed to farmers across Punjab for the purchase of fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides for Kharif crops. Of this amount, farmers have already utilized over Rs. 45 billion for the purchase of fertilizers, pesticides, and diesel. Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani further elaborated on the landmark programs launched during the current fiscal year for the welfare of farmers and agricultural advancement. These include Rs. 200 billion in interest-free loans through the Kisan Card, subsidized provision of 20,000 tractors, solarization of over 10,000 agricultural tube wells, establishment of 10 model agriculture malls, recruitment of 2,000 young agriculture graduates to provide technical support in the field, improvement and lining of watercourses, and a Rs. 30 billion program for the distribution of modern agricultural machinery. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Sindh Tenancy Act amendments favour landlords: Khaskheli
Sindh Tenancy Act amendments favour landlords: Khaskheli

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Sindh Tenancy Act amendments favour landlords: Khaskheli

HYDERABAD: Peasants and rural workers in Sindh continue to face numerous challenges, including the absence of social security coverage and occupational health and safety protections. Despite existing laws prohibiting bonded labour, a total of 1,012 bonded labourers were released from the illegal captivity of landlords and brick kiln owners in 2024 alone. These concerns were highlighted by Akram Khaskheli, President of the Hari Welfare Association, in a statement issued on Sunday. Khaskheli said that the Sindh Tenancy Act, 1950, has been in place for 74 years, but the amendments made over the years, particularly in 2013, favoured landlords (e.g., the Section 17 amendment shifted 100% of expenses to peasants). The high costs of inputs and limited or no irrigation water have created serious issues for sharecropping peasants. The rules for the Sindh Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (SBLSAA), 1992, were not notified in 2024. The draft rules remained with the Provincial Law Department and were accessible to the Provincial Home Department, but were not made publicly available. He also highlighted that the Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Act (SWAWA), 2019 has been passed which aims to protect the rights and welfare of women agricultural workers in Sindh. The rules for this law have not been passed thus this law is not being implemented. He said that according to HWA's annual report on peasants rights in Sindh, most members of the Sindh assembly are feudal lords or originate from feudal families, often misrepresented as agriculturalists and businesspersons. Nine members are identified as agriculturalists and 23 as landlords; many of these are also landowners. Similar patterns are observed in the National Assembly, particularly among PPP members, where many are actual landowners, but their true professions are concealed. A significant number of Sindh Provincial Assembly members represent feudal families, who form the core base of the PPP in Sindh. In 2024, a total of 1,012 bonded labourers were released from the custody of landlords and brick kiln owners in the agriculture and brick kiln sectors in Sindh. Of these, 620 bonded labourers (children, women, and men) were released from agriculture across various districts. Sanghar and Umerkot reported the highest numbers, with 194 and 206 individuals, respectively. In 2024 alone, 392 bonded labourers were released from the brick kiln sector, with Umerkot (125) and Sanghar (85) being the districts with the highest releases. Over 12 years (2013-2024), 12,005 bonded labourers were freed, comprising 32% men, 33% women, and 35% children. He further stated that over 6.4 million children are out of school in Sindh, many engaged in severe child labour, depriving them of education, health, and protection. Out of 1.7 million bonded labourers, approximately 700,000 are children suffering inhumane conditions, mainly in agriculture. The report also highlighted that rural Sindh is heavily affected by dacoit culture and crime. Hari leaders blame feudal lords and landowners for contributing to this issue, claiming they have destroyed Sindh's agriculture sector, especially sharecropping peasants and farm workers. HWA has collected details of tribal conflict in Sindh and revealed that from October 1 to December 31, 2024, 88 murders and thousands of injuries occurred in approximately 60 reported cases. Shikarpur district had the highest number of murders (31), followed by Ghotki (12) and Kashmore (7). It showed that other districts, such as Sukkur, Larkana, and Khairpur, reported lower numbers of murders (6-8), while Naushero Feroze, Jamshoro, and Dadu had fewer incidents. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Working in silos will not do
Working in silos will not do

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Working in silos will not do

EDITORIAL: The energy sector's complex web is becoming increasingly difficult to manage as authorities continue to attempt to solve issues in silos, an approach that only complicates the problems. Currently, the Energy Task Force (ETF) and the Power and Petroleum Divisions are developing their own solutions without considering their interconnectivity and interdependence. With the power sector's push, backed by the IMF, captive power plants are being subjected to hefty levies on gas consumption. The objective is to transition industrial consumers to the grid, which is being partially achieved. The logical consequence should have been a higher off-take of RLNG by the power sector, but that is not happening, leaving expensive gas unused, which contributes to the circular debt of gas, excessive pressure on the pipelines, and lower off-take of cheap domestic gas. Reportedly, when the Petroleum Division urged the Power Division to increase its intake of RLNG, the minister replied that it would not commit a grave sin (gunnah-e-kabeera) by violating the economic merit order (EMO). The minister was behaving like a principled man, but such discipline was regrettably found lacking when the levy imposed (at peak rates for the entire day) was even higher than what the IMF had prescribed. The Discos (working under the Power Division) are being blamed for Rs 240 billion of overbilling to poor consumers, who are already paying for the inefficiencies of the government. The minister is silent on this issue that is beginning to become increasingly conspicuous. This selective amnesia does not stop here. The power minister is pushing his petroleum counterpart to review RLNG buying contracts with Qatar, asking to emulate what the Power Division has done with the IPPs. How naïve is it to even suggest this remedy. First, it would be tantamount to openly disregarding the sanctity of sovereign contracts. Second, it tends to advocate and normalise coercive actions that were employed against local IPP owners, a stance that has severely undermined investor confidence. Third, it demands breaking contractual commitments with international investors, despite the Power Division and ETF's own failures — even they could not persuade Chinese IPPs to waive the late payment interest (LPI) on outstanding dues, casting uncertainty over the Rs 1.3 trillion circular debt reduction plan. And the cherry on the top is that EMO that is being termed 'holy' while others are being advised to violate (or revise) sovereign contracts. Not only is buying RLNG from Qatar a necessity, but running RLNG plants to a specific limit is also necessary. It is a problem of double standards and a lack of understanding of the core issues. What the government is required to focus on is why the power demand is falling, as the off-take from the grid is still 11 percent shy of its peak in FY22. The need is to address the issue of solar net metering — where rates should be revised by adjusting solar pricing for new net metering contracts (with no change in existing rates) — has been identified, yet the necessary action has not been taken. The power ministry fears a public backlash over solar net metering, while the public is being cheated by entities under its domain by engaging in overbilling at the same time. Suffice it to say that the direly needed clarity of thought and objectivity in the solutions being proposed are simply missing. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store