Power subsidy for Baloch farmers

File Photo: PM Ashraf distributes relief goods among flood victims in Balochistan

Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Friday decided to give subsidy on the electricity supplied to farmers in Balochistan.

It was decided that the owners of the agricultural tubewells will pay a fix cost of Rs 6,000 per month while 60 per cent of the balance bill will be picked up by the provincial government and 40 per cent by the Federal government.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Finance to issue a notification to the effect after completion of all necessary formalities.

He said that Balochistan is one of the top most priorities of his government and if the Federal government had the fiscal space, it would not have hesitated to provide more relief to the farmers of Balochistan. Raja Pervaiz said that he was aware that due to lowering of water table, the tubewells in Balochistan had to be bored as deep as 1,000 feet to pump water.

“Therefore, it becomes difficult for farmers to bear the cost of their installation, and the government ,therefore, would provide subsidy to the farmers by way of picking up a substantial portion of their electricity bills so that they can operate their tubewells,” he stated.

The Prime Minister said the long term solution to the problems of electricity bills for farmers in Balochistan is in use of tubewells run on solar energy. Raja urged the farmers of Balochistan to come forward and replace the existing tubewells with solar energy tubewells so that the issue can be resolved permanently.

The Prime Minister directed the Provincial Government to nominate its representative and asked the Zamindar Action Committee to nominate two persons who should meet the authorities in Planning Commission and finalise a criteria for installation of tubewells as well as the share of Federal and Provincial Governments in their installation cost.

He said the real test would be “how quick and how many solar tubewells” were installed.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that farmers in Balochistan would work hard for the prosperity of Balochistan and progress of Pakistan.

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