Early market and wedding hall closures are part of the government’s energy-saving initiative.

ISLAMABAD : The federal government gave its approval on Tuesday to a proposal to save energy that mandates that stores close at 8:30 p.m. and wedding venues close at 10 p.m.

The defence minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed to reduce the power usage of all public agencies by 30%. He was joined by Ministers Sherry Rehman, Khurrum Dastgir, and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

According to Mr. Asif, the federal cabinet meeting was also conducted without any electricity as a symbolic gesture. He anticipated that the steps would help the nation, which was experiencing financial difficulties and declining foreign currency reserves, save Rs62 billion.

According to him, the government has also decided to restrict the manufacture of incandescent bulbs starting on February 1, 2023, and to discourage their import, higher tariffs will be levied.

The minister continued by stating that under the discussion plan, all government buildings and offices, including courts, will switch to efficient energy.

Inefficient electric products would no longer be produced starting on July 1 due to their increased power consumption, Mr. Asif also said.

“Inefficient fans use between 120 and 130 watts of power. Fans that consume 60 to 80 watts are widely accessible, he said, adding that the import tariff on “inefficient” fans will also be raised.

According to Khawaja Asif, the government is also introducing a building code for the construction industry due to the high maintenance costs associated with cement, iron, and glass.

The minister said that e-bikes will be made available across the nation.

“We’re gradually switching over to electric bikes. Financing via dealers would make it easier for people to move to these facilities, “the minister stated. Pakistan consumes $3 billion worth of oil yearly, he said.

The minister said that a committee will be formed and mandated by the cabinet to provide a report on adopting work from home policies in workplaces.

Similar to that, we’ve also decided to make conical geyser usage required within a year. By using these geysers, we may save 92 billion rupees by using less gas.