Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hailed the drastic reduction of Rs30 per unit in power tariff for electric vehicles (EVs) as a propitious step for the sector to boost the emission-less and eco-friendly vehicles in the country.
\nThe prime minister, chairing a meeting to discuss the promotion of Electric Vehicle Policy, appreciated the Power Minister Awais Ahmed Leghari and his team for working out a convincing proposal aimed at facilitating the EV manufacturers in rolling out subsidized charge-based automobiles in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey (power minister and his team) have drastically reduced the tariff in this sector from Rs70 to Rs40 per unit. It will encourage the investors and industry partners to tap more investments into the EVs sector,\u201d he said.
\nHe pointed out that the country was facing air pollution and climate change which was also a serious concern for the world. However, the country had actively participated in the global climate forums of COP-27 and COP-29 to present its stance in state-level negotiations on addressing climate-induced disasters and catastrophes like air pollution and solutions to resolve the risks due to it, he added.
\n\u201cEVs are the right step to address air pollution that needs to be scaled up to contain climate change as it will help reduce air pollution, the massive import bill of fuels and preserve the pristine environment,\u201d PM Shehbaz said.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the commercial aspect of the EVs, he said it was important to look into the electricity tariff offered to these industries that needed to be subsidized as the present Rs70 tariff was not viable for them to operate and continue their production.
\nGlobally, he said these sectors were given special incentives focusing on the industry and the consumers at all tiers.
\nDuring the meeting, officials from the Power Division briefed the forum on the new policy. They told that EV charging stations would now be charged at a reduced tariff of PKR 39.70 per unit instead of the existing PKR 71 per unit. This reduction is expected to lower travel costs by up to three times compared to petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.
\nThe policy aims to decrease the country\u2019s dependence on fossil fuels, saving substantial foreign exchange, reduce harmful emissions, thereby mitigating air pollution, open new avenues for profitable businesses and attract local and foreign investments and create numerous employment opportunities, boosting the national economy.
\nThe meeting highlighted that regulations for setting up EV charging stations and battery replacement points have been simplified to encourage investment. Under the new rules, particularly charging station registration and business licenses would be issued within 15 days, safety measures and annual inspections for charging stations would be ensured by NEPRA and a competitive market environment would be fostered to attract direct investments.
\nThe meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Federal Minister for Power Sardar Owais Ahmad Leghari, along with senior government officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hailed the drastic reduction of Rs30 per unit in power tariff for electric vehicles (EVs) as a propitious step for the sector to boost the emission-less and eco-friendly vehicles in the country. The prime minister, chairing a meeting to discuss the promotion of Electric Vehicle Policy, appreciated the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-455544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n