The federal government has assured the International Monetary Fund team of a hike in the power tariff, sources said.
The government will increase the power tariff by Rs 6.79 per unit and it will increase stepwise in the next five months.
The power division briefed the IMF team about the plan to reduce the circular debt by increasing electricity prices and preventing power theft and line losses.
In the ongoing month, the power tariff will increase up to Rs 4.46 per unit under quarterly ad justment. In February the tariff will hike by Rs 3.21 per unit. In March and June, the power tariff will increase by Rs .69 and Rs 1.64 per unit respectively.
Meanwhile, addressing a function, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal claimed on Wednesday the International Monetary Fund was imposing harshest conditions on the country.
Iqbal lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, saying, “Imran left no stone unturned to put the country’s economy at stake.” Ahsan Iqbal said the coalition government was making all-out efforts to put the country’s economy on the right track.
Underscoring the importance of exports, he said the exports could help the country to stop relying on other countries for economic assistance.
