On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Asif, said the federal government would persuade provinces to implement an energy conservation policy, which envisages closing shops by 8 pm and wedding halls by 10 pm because of the current difficulty economic situation.
Addressing a press conference along with ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Secretary Power after a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Asif unveiled the contours of the energy conservation policy, saying the federal government would approach the provinces. After incorporating their inputs in the next two days, the energy-saving policy will be finalised on Thursday.
He said their input is critical because the implementation falls under the purview of provinces. However, he said that saving energy is inevitable as the country passes through a difficult economic situation.
The minister said estimates suggest that if 20 per cent workforce worked from home on alternate days, there would be a saving of Rs56 billion annually. He said the plan/policy envisages limiting wedding halls’ timings to 10 pm and restaurants’ and shops’ to 8 pm; however, an hour and a half increase would be given to restaurants. This would result in a saving of Rs62 billion.