LAHORE: As Punjab cabinet on Thursday approved a Rs14 per unit subsidy on August and September electricity bills for consumers in the province and Islamabad, using from 201 to 500 units, Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman was conspicuous by his absence, sparking speculations that he was made to skip the meeting for his ‘controversial remarks’ on the issue.

The finance minister earlier had claimed that the actual cost of the subsidy was Rs90 billion and not Rs45bn, as claimed by the Maryam administration, and that half of the amount to be spent on providing this relief to Punjab would be funded by the federal government.

Following the minister’s statement, the Punjab government categorically clarified that it would exclusively fund this relief with Rs45bn.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had reportedly expressed her displeasure over Rehman’s statement and barred him from issuing any further statements on the matter.

Mr Rehman could not be reached out for his comment on the matter as his cell phone was switched off, while Information Minister Azma Bokhari couldn’t respond to Dawn’s query as she was in the UK.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Qamar Zaman Kaira has also sought clarity on who will foot the bill for this subsidy. “Since electricity is a federal subject, it appeared that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who had announced this relief, along with CM Maryam, was referring to all the people of Pakistan consuming up to 500 units of electricity. Had it been only for Punjab, the announcement would have been made by the CM, instead of Nawaz Sharif,” Mr Kaira told Dawn.

Besides the opposition PTI, PML-N’s two partners in the federal government – the PPP and the MQM-P – have also questioned the rationale behind the move, with the latter’s leader Mustafa Kamal demanding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to announce a matching relief for the entire country.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Thursday, CM Maryam Nawaz said the people of Punjab and Islamabad consuming electricity from 201 to 500 units were being given a relief of Rs14 per unit of electricity in August and September bills and Punjab has allocated Rs46bn for the purpose. “This is a huge relief in electricity bills, which has never been given before. With [inclusion of] this relief, two million electricity bills have reached the consumers so far for payment. On every bill, it is written that this was the original bill and after the relief from Punjab government, it has been reduced to that [amount]. More than 150,000 consumers of Islamabad are also being given relief in their electricity bills,” she said.

The CM said that the relief in electricity bills was an urgent measure, while a solar panel project was also being launched for [provision of] sustainable relief. “Press conferences were held, competition was held, but I must thank them [the critics of the relief] for promoting our project in the public,” she said, indirectly referring to the PPP and the PTI governments in Sindh and KP, respectively.

The cabinet also approved Punjab’s first comprehensive Climate Resilient Punjab Vision and Action Plan 2024. In the first comprehensive policy in the country’s history, an action plan has been prepared on flood management, ecosystem infrastructure, food security, agriculture and heatwave, the meeting was told. “Green cover, biodiversity, waste management, green transport, water conservation and departmental action plans have been included,” the CM added.

The CM said the impact of transparency and end to corruption should be visible in the performance of all institutions. “There is corruption in every institution, the elimination of which is our responsibility,” she added.

The cabinet also approved formation of the Punjab Zakat and Ushar Council. It dissolved the existing Punjab Bait-ul-Mal Council under the Punjab Bait-ul-Mal Act 1991 and approved the establishment of the new council.

Moreover, the cabinet gave approval to lease the government land to Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in Lahore, besides approving Punjab Public Service Commission Annual Report for 2023.

It also approved the Annual Audit Report 2023-24 of Public Sector Enterprises of Punjab Government, besides giving nod to the Special Audit Report of Accounts of Punjab Government and District Governments for the years 2016-17, 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024