Business

K-Electric’s power tariff cut by Rs7.43 per unit

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

FCA for Nov 2022 will be reflected in billing month of Jan 2023.
NEPRA approves a hike of Rs0.189 for XWDISCOs.
Tariff cut and hike will be applicable to all consumer categories.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday decided to slash the power tariff by Rs7.43 per unit for K-Electric (KE) consumers on account of fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for November 2022.

In its petition filed with NEPRA, KE had requested a tariff reduction of Rs7.043 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The regulator conducted a public hearing on December 27, 2022, and approved a reduction of Rs7.43 per unit.

The FCA for November 2022 will be reflected in the billing month of January 2023. The tariff cut will be applicable to all consumer categories except for:

Lifeline consumers
Domestic consumers consuming up to 300 units
Agricultural consumers
Electric vehicle charging station users

The regulator clarified that the negative adjustment would be applicable to domestic consumers having Time-of-Use (ToU) meters irrespective of their consumption levels.

“The adjustment shall be shown separately in the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in the respective month to which the adjustment pertains,” the notification read.

Meanwhile, the power regulator increased the power tariff by Rs0.1892 per kWh for ex-WAPDA Distribution companies (XWDISCOs).

The adjustment will also be reflected in January 2023 bills and would be applicable to all consumer categories except

Electric vehicle charging stations
Lifeline consumers

The impact of this increase will be around Rs1.75 billion including 17% general sales tax. Meanwhile, the impact of the power cut for KE will be over Rs11 billion, however, it will not be passed into lifeline consumers.

Business

There are US$13,280.5 million in foreign exchange reserves in Pakistan.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

According to a representative for the central bank, as of April 19, 2024, the nation’s total liquid foreign reserves were valued at US$ 13,280.5 million. A loss of US$74 million left the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign reserves at US$7,981.2 million.

Commercial banks have $5,299.3 million in reserves for Pakistan.

In the week that concluded on April 12, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $14.4 million to $8.055 billion.

“In a weekly statement, SBP stated that it has repaid US$ 1 billion in principal and interest on Pakistan’s International Bond, which matures this week.”

But at $13.374 billion, the nation’s total reserves decreased by $68 million. In the same way, commercial banks’ reserves dropped to $5.319 billion, a reduction of $82 million.

Business

NIMA seminar to increase Pakistan’s ship recycling industry’s capacity

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

According to a release, important players from a range of maritime industries attended the conference to discuss issues facing the shipping sector.

It further stated that the symposium cleared the path for the resurgence of a sustainable future in ship recycling.

Participants in the conference included representatives of the Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union, PSBA, KS&EW, KPT, PMSA, GEMS, and the federal and Balochistani governments.

Furthermore, global perspectives and ideas were offered by international specialists such as Rabia Razzaque from UN-ILO and Professor Raphael Baumler from the World Maritime University.

The seminar emphasized Pakistan’s capacity to emerge as a pioneer in the field of environmentally friendly ship recycling.

In order to protect the environment and the safety of employees, the participants emphasized the importance of following international standards and regulations.

During his speech, Chief Guest Senator Nisar Ahmed Khoro emphasized the importance of the maritime industry’s resurgence and the crucial necessity for coordinated efforts from all parties involved.

A new age of economic prosperity, worker safety, and environmental responsibility for Pakistan’s maritime industry was called for as he urged the stakeholders to work together on a comprehensive SENSREC program.

Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed (Retd), the president of NIMA, emphasized the significance of environmental stewardship and safety in ship recycling procedures.

Business

Inflows into the Roshan Digital Account surged to $7.660 billion on March 24.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

According to the data, remittance inflows for the month of March totaled US$ 182 million, whereas they were US$ 141 million in February and US$ 142 million in January 2024.

Millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including those who own Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs), can now engage in banking, payment, and investing activities in Pakistan with the help of these accounts, which offer cutting-edge banking solutions.

According to a statement from the State Bank of Pakistan, the number of accounts registered under the program increased by 11,091 from 668,701 accounts in February 2024 to 679,792 accounts in March 2024.

As of March 2024, the central bank reported that foreign nationals of Pakistan have invested US $312 million in Naya Pakistan Certificates, US $528 million in Naya Pakistan Islamic Certificates, and US $31 million in Roshan Equity Investment.

It is important to note that former prime minister Imran Khan introduced the Roshan Digital Account initiative in September 2020 with the goal of giving Pakistanis living abroad access to digital banking services for the first time.