Government Declares Friday a Holiday to Conserve Energy
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on Tuesday to assess the enforcement of austerity measures announced by the government in response to regional challenges. At the meeting held at the Prime Minister's House, he approved the declaration of Friday as an additional weekly holiday as part of the government's efforts to conserve energy and promote austerity. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of strictly implementing the policy across all federal ministries and divisions.
Prime Minister Sharif highlighted that despite global and regional challenges, the government is committed to maintaining stability in the national economy. He revealed the formation of a special committee led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to monitor the daily implementation of austerity and energy conservation measures and provide regular reports.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister instructed that the austerity measures adopted by government departments undergo third-party audits to assess their effectiveness transparently. He also mandated that ministries and institutions submit photographs of vehicles taken out of operation under the austerity policy to the Cabinet Division. Additionally, each ministry is required to report to the Prime Minister's Office on initiatives taken to enhance work-from-home arrangements.
The meeting outlined that federal ministries and divisions will provide daily and weekly reports to the special committee on the progress of energy-saving measures and workforce management. In a separate session focusing on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Prime Minister urged authorities to implement automated monitoring systems in key sectors to boost tax collection and combat tax evasion effectively.
Highlighting the importance of strengthening enforcement mechanisms, the Prime Minister commended the economic team for appointing experts to the executive team of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) based on merit. Officials informed the meeting that technology-driven monitoring systems have already been successfully implemented in sectors like sugar, cement, cigarettes, and fertilizers, leading to increased tax revenues.
Efforts are now underway to introduce similar systems in sectors such as textiles, leather, paper, automobiles, and beverages, with the expectation of generating significant additional tax revenue in the coming period.
