In a significant move, Pakistan has ended the free electricity facility for employees of power companies, including Discos, Gencos, Wapda, NTDC, and PITC. This change took effect on December 1st, 2023.

Previously, these employees received a certain number of free electricity units per month. However, the new policy replaces this with a monthly utility allowance. The amount of the allowance varies depending on the employee’s grade.

For example, grade-17 employees of Discos and Wapda previously received 450 units of free electricity. This has been replaced with a monthly utility allowance of Rs15,858. Similarly, grade-18 to 21 officers of Discos will now receive Rs21,996, Rs37,594, Rs46,922, and Rs55,536 respectively.

Meanwhile, GENCO officers will also receive a monthly utility allowance instead of free units. Grade-17 officers will receive Rs24,570, while grade-18 officers will receive Rs26,460. Officers in higher grades will receive even more.

This change is expected to save the government a significant amount of money. Additionally, it aims to promote greater efficiency and accountability in the power sector.

However, some employees have expressed concerns about the change. They argue that it will result in a pay cut and will make it more difficult to afford electricity.

The government has assured employees that they will not be worse off under the new policy. They have also stated that the change is necessary to improve the financial situation of the power sector.