LAHORE: The Punjab government has rolled out a plan to distribute free solar panels across the province, starting from August 14 (Independence Day).
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Saturday announced that households consuming up to 200 units of electricity per month will receive free solar panels.
Under this initiative, the Punjab government will provide solar systems to lakhs of consumers consuming 50 to 500 units of electricity. The government will cover 90 percent of the cost of the solar panels while the remaining 10 percent will be paid by consumers. The solar panels will be provided to consumers in easy installments over five years.
Consumers using between 200 and 500 units of electricity per month will get solar panels at only 10% of the cost, with the remaining 90% subsidized by the Punjab government. The payments will be interest-free and spread over five years.
Maryam Nawaz said that in the first phase, the poorest families will get solar system according to the transparent procedure. He asserted that the government would not abandon the people in difficult times.
Maryam Nawaz said that efforts are ongoing to save the people from the negative effects of past disasters, assuring that in five years the citizens will not face the current challenges.