ISLAMABAD: Markets will be required to close at 8:30 p.m. and wedding venues at 10 p.m. as part of an energy saving plan that the federal cabinet adopted on Tuesday.
The defence minister, flanked by ministers Sherry Rehman, Khurrum Dastgir, and Marriyum Aurangzeb, announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered a 30% reduction in the electricity use of all government agencies.
Mr. Asif claimed that the federal cabinet meeting was also conducted without the use of any electricity as a symbolic gesture. He anticipated that the actions would save the nation, which was struggling financially and had low foreign exchange reserves, Rs62 billion.
As per him, the government has also decided to restrict the manufacture of incandescent bulbs starting on February 1, 2023, and to discourage their import, higher tariffs will be levied.
The minister continued by stating that under the conversation plan, all government buildings and offices, including courts, would switch to efficient energy.
Inefficient electric products would no longer be produced starting on July 1 due to their increased power consumption, Mr. Asif also declared.
“Inefficient fans consume between 120 and 130 watts of power. Fans that consume 60 to 80 watts are widely accessible, he added, adding that the import tariff on “inefficient” fans would also be raised.
As per Khawaja Asif, the government is also introducing a building code for the construction industry due to the high maintenance costs associated with cement, iron, and glass.
The minister added that a committee would be formed and mandated by the cabinet to produce a report on adopting work from home policies in workplaces.
