ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed to expedite the process of consultation with all stakeholders including the provincial governments to ensure the implementation of the Energy Saving Plan.

He was chairing the Cabinet meeting here in Islamabad on Wednesday. The Prime Minister said that we as a nation need to adopt prudence with regard to energy and in this regard we urgently need to change our attitudes. The Prime Minister further said that the implementation of the energy saving plan and the use of alternative energy is indispensable to reduce the import bill in terms of fuel.

He also directed to form a committee to reduce electricity consumption in government offices by 30 percent, which will include the Federal Minister for Energy, Federal Minister for Planning, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources and relevant secretaries. The federal cabinet was given a detailed briefing by the Ministry of Industry and Production regarding the generalization of the use of electric bikes across the country.

The cabinet was told that the petrol-powered motorcycles in the country will be replaced by electric bikes in a phased manner. It was informed that currently 90 companies are manufacturing motorcycles and auto rickshaws in Pakistan and the country has the capacity to manufacture 6 million motorcycles annually.

It was further informed in the meeting that 22 companies have been issued licenses to manufacture electric bikes in Pakistan. The Prime Minister issued instructions to submit a detailed plan regarding electric bikes to the Economic Coordination Committee.

The federal cabinet gave final approval to the report of the Cabinet Committee on Soybeans. The federal cabinet also approved the Government-to-Government Commercial Transaction Act 2022. On the recommendation of the Board of Investments, the federal cabinet approved in principle the One Stop Service Act to provide facilities to investors in Special Economic Zones established across the country.