Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the formation of a task force for the implementation of reforms in the electricity sector in order to remedy the increasing prices of electricity in the country, their impact on the prices of daily use goods and the anxiety found among consumers. It will present its recommendations to the Prime Minister in the month. Energy Minister Owais Ahmed Laghari will be the chairman of the task force, while former caretaker energy minister Muhammad Ali has been appointed as the minister of state and Lt. Gen. Zafraqbal has been appointed as the national coordinator. Nepra and other relevant institutions are members of the task force. The objective of the task force is to strengthen the power sector financially, identify the irregularities found in the system, regulatory deficiencies and their remedial measures, terms of various power generation contracts, relief from debt, capacity of IPPs.
It is to prepare recommendations about payments and other
matters, the final approval of which will be taken from the Prime Minister. The
task force will also monitor the implementation of these recommendations, for
which the government will provide all kinds of support, including the budget.
According to the press release, the purpose of the formation of the task force
is to reduce the financial burden on the power sector which the government has
to bear. The Prime Minister, while addressing a function, has mentioned to give
relief to the consumers of up to two hundred units of electricity, which is a
good thing. But this is not the solution to the problems that people are facing
in the form of continuously increasing electricity rates, overbilling and load
shedding etc. and as a result of which consumers are forced to sell even their
household goods to pay the bills. The salaried class bears this burden. It is
more affected because after paying the bills, they have nothing left for
household expenses. It has reached such a point that industrial plants and
other businesses are also gradually shutting down which keep the wheels of the
economy going. This is a serious problem that needs to be controlled.
A mere temporary or patchy solution of the task force will not
work. The involvement of experts in the task force committee is also necessary
and the time period for making recommendations to reduce electricity bills,
remove irregularities and identify system flaws is also necessary. It should be
kept in mind that there is an agitation like situation in the entire country on
this issue. There are ongoing sit-ins in some cities and it is feared that
people may not stop paying electricity bills, the negative consequences of
which the government and the country's economy cannot afford. Maybe. Some taxes
in electricity bills are ridiculous, in areas where electricity is generated
only from water, there is no justification for inclusion of duties like income
tax etc. apart from adding fuel adjustment money or TV fee in mosque bills.
No. The task force will have to take these things into
consideration in its recommendations. The issue of IPPs is also very complex
which the government will have to solve in any case because the payment of
billions of rupees to power companies without producing and supplying
electricity is not fair. It does not meet the requirements. There is no
justification for providing free electricity to some government workers and
offices. In order to get the country out of the economic vortex as soon as
possible, apart from other measures, it is necessary that the domestic and
industrial consumers, especially the poor class, should be at least Maximum
relief should be given in bills.
Change in Bangladesh
After several weeks of
anti-government protests in Bangladesh, three hundred people were killed, on
the first day of the civil disobedience movement, the army chief announced the
resignation of Prime Minister Hasina Wajid and the establishment of an interim
government in the country. In his first address, he has also expressed his
determination to restore peace and order in the country, while the former Prime
Minister has reached the Indian city of Agartala in a military helicopter.
Earlier, the protests started by the students against the quota system in
government jobs turned into a public movement demanding the resignation of
Hasina Wajid in response to the violent actions of the government.
Instead of handling the situation
through dialogue, Hasina Wajid called the students as terrorists and directed
the workers of her party to fight the protestors. If seen in the light of
facts, although Sheikh Hasina has done important services for the development
of her country, her performance in the matter of democratic freedoms has been
very disappointing.
During the Hasina Wajid era,
there was a great increase in corruption, in which the Prime Minister
Close people, government officials and their families came forward. The
opposition was crushed throughout his tenure, forcing many opposition leaders to
leave the country, and none of the last three general elections were recognized
as credible by international standards. And dictatorial attitudes eventually
brought him to an unenviable end. However, the military leadership should
restore democracy in the country by holding impartial and fair elections as
soon as possible, because only then will Bangladesh be able to continue its
journey as a developing democratic country.
Britain, Race Riots
A few days ago in the city of
Sunderland in the United Kingdom, there is concern about the attack on Muslims
as a result of the murder of three teenage girls and the possible worsening of
the situation. Three girls were killed due to the attack and stabbing. As soon
as the accused was detained, rumors were spread on social media that he was
declared a Muslim. After that, right-wing elements started provocative attacks
on Muslims and many Targeted the mosques in the cities. Despite the strictness
of the government and the police, the possibility of more riots is being shown
in the coming moments. According to him, the courts will remain open 24 hours
to punish the accused. He announced to increase security to ensure the safety
of mosques while warning the social media platform that those involved in the
unrest will face the full force of the law.
According to the 2021 census in
the United Kingdom, the proportion of Muslim population has increased from 4.9
to 6.5 percent, and it is impossible to deny the majority of Pakistanis, while
1.7 percent of the population identify themselves as Hindus. 37 percent of the
population has no religion. The rise in racism during the last decade is
alarming and a challenge to the government itself. Hopefully, keeping the whole
situation in mind, the Keir Starmer government will take such foolproof
measures to protect Muslims, which Such a situation should not be repeated in
the future.
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