KARACHI: Sindh minister for alternative energy Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh has said 200 villages and 5,000 schools in rural areas of the province will be energised through solar power.

The minister, at an introductory meeting of his department on Monday, directed the officials concerned to take immediate and practical steps to implement this plan envisaged on the directive of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari to supply electricity in the rural areas of Sindh.

The minister said Sindh has numerous resources for generating renewable energy which may cater to the power needs of the country through the generation of thousands of megawatts of electricity.

He said provinces require federal government’s permission over some aspects of alternative energy resources; therefore, the Sindh government would take up such matters at the next meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) so that work could be started on pending renewable energy projects.

He said an alternative energy policy would be presented in the CCI meeting.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2018