Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said the federal government formulated a National Energy Conservation Plan, envisaging the use of solar power for private and government buildings besides a massive crackdown on electricity thieves.

Marriyum said in a series of tweets that the decision was taken in a meeting on economic recovery and elimination of energy shortage, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

She added that the plan, which aimed at significantly reducing the import bill, would be presented in the federal cabinet meeting for approval.

“The purpose of the emergency energy conservation plan is to reduce pressure on the public and the economy as the prices of fuel, including oil, continue to rise in the global market,” she said, adding that the plan would “significantly and clearly reduce” the import bill.

About the measures approved in the meeting, the information minister said that a crackdown on electricity thieves and switching private and government buildings to solar energy was also a part of the plan. In the meeting, she added, “Extraordinary measures were decided for an extraordinary situation.”

Pakistan’s oil import bill has risen to $29 billion or more than Rs6 trillion.

According to the minister, an amount of Rs262 billion could be saved by adopting the measures proposed in the energy saving plan.

She stressed that every Pakistani would have to play a part in “this extraordinary situation”.

The final approval of the plan would be taken in the next federal cabinet meeting, where all the provincial chief ministers would also be invited, Aurangzeb said, adding that the plan would be implemented together with the provinces.

“All the provinces must implement the National Conservation Plan together,” she said.

During the meeting, the information minister wrote on the microblogging web site that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised that “saving energy is the matter of Pakistan’s survival”.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)