ISLAMABAD, JULY13: Following a similar program in Balochistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Friday that the federal government would collaborate with the province governments of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to boost farmer welfare through the conversion of agricultural tube wells to solar electricity.
The prime minister underlined that solar energy is the most affordable method of producing electricity while presiding over a meeting at PM House on solarizing agricultural tube wells and preventing power theft. He declared that one of the government’s major priorities is to promote solar energy.In conjunction with the provincial governments, PM Shehbaz instructed officials to develop a comprehensive plan for converting agricultural tube wells to solar energy.
During the meeting, it was disclosed that converting tube wells powered by diesel to solar electricity would result in a $2.7 billion foreign exchange savings.The prime minister also gave the go-ahead to develop a thorough strategy to strengthen the anti-electricity theft measures. In order to stop overbilling, he advocated the implementation of a smart metering system and commended the province governments for their collaboration with the Power Ministry.
46 workers of Power Distribution Companies have been suspended, 74,366 persons have been arrested, and 174,562 FIRs have been filed since the anti-power theft campaign started in September 2023. In addition, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently built 1,113 new power meters, eliminated almost 12,000 illegal connections, and filed 421,460 complaints statewide.
