Sindh to distribute free 500,000 solar panels this year

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has announced that the provincial government will distribute an additional 500,000 solar systems to low-income households this year.

Speaking in Sukkur, Shah stated that the initial plan under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was to provide 200,000 solar systems, with 50,000 units already distributed. The remaining systems will be delivered soon.

Following Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s directive, the government will now expand the initiative to supply an additional 500,000 solar systems, aiming to improve energy accessibility for economically disadvantaged families.

Additionally, the chief minister highlighted Karachi’s waste-to-energy project, where authorities are collecting 15,000 tons of waste daily.

The project aims to generate 50 megawatts of electricity, contributing to both waste management and renewable energy development in Sindh.

Read more: FBR uncovers Rs106 billion money laundering scandal in import of solar panels

In a prior meeting in January, the Senate subcommittee on finance was informed that 11 companies were implicated in solar panel transactions totaling Rs160 billion, with Star Business Solution and Moonlight from Peshawar being the most significantly involved.

In the latest session, the FBR representative reported that approximately 63 of the shortlisted companies were found to be engaged in over-invoicing, with suspicious transactions amounting to Rs69 billion related to solar panel imports.

The Senate Finance Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Mohsin Aziz, was informed that the tax authority has filed 13 FIRs concerning over-invoicing to date.

Additionally, the investigation into the earlier scandal uncovered that solar panel imports were conducted through a shell company, whose owner falsely claimed to be a salaried employee in the documentation.