Business
Smart electricity metre prices drop nearly 40% | The Express Tribune
Energy minister Awais Leghari says the move will lead to Rs150b national savings annually
Energy Minister Awais Leghari said that the prices of smart electricity metres have fallen by around 40 per cent, a move he said would lead to massive national savings. In a statement, the minister said that the reduction in prices would result in annual savings of up to Rs150 billion at the national level, following timely and effective measures taken to strengthen transparency and competition in the procurement process.
Leghari said that improved transparency and the adoption of international competitive standards had helped electricity distribution companies procure smart metres at much lower prices. As a result, the cost of a three-phase smart metre has dropped from Rs45,000 to Rs25,000, while the price of a single-phase metre has been reduced by Rs7,000.
He said, regulatory improvements introduced through the Pakistan Engineering Council, had also played a key role in enabling fair competition, allowing international companies to participate fully by removing long-standing barriers.
Read More: Pakistan’s future lies in partnerships, not aid: finance minister
According to the minister, continuous monitoring and the introduction of transparent, competitive benchmarks for smart metres have driven prices down steadily. The estimated Rs150 billion in annual savings is expected to be utilised by power distribution companies to replace faulty and outdated metres.
Leghari said the lower cost of new metres would also save electricity consumers billions of rupees, particularly by reducing expenses reflected in demand notices for new connections.
He added that smart metres would help eliminate incorrect metre readings, enable faster detection of electricity theft, and provide several consumer-focused benefits, including prepaid billing, real-time monitoring of electricity usage, access to consumption data, quicker power restoration, and reduced dependence on line staff.
Business
LPG crisis: No respite for restaurants yet – The Times of India
MUMBAI/BENGALURU: The restaurant industry is struggling to run regular operations due to the meagre supplies of LPG cylinders . With the govt’s move to hike commercial LPG allocation to up to 70%, it will take some time before the measure actually translates into sustained supply, executives said. “Supply is still hugely limited and erratic. A feeling of uncertainty looms large,” said Anurag Katriar, founder at Indigo Hospitality. The key question is how quickly this revised allocation will translate into on-ground availability, said Pradeep Shetty, vice-president at Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).A walk along Indiranagar’s 12th Main, known for its cluster of independent restaurants, reflects the strain. “It is all hand-to-mouth at this point,” said Nikhil Gupta, who runs brands including The Pizza Bakery and Paris Panini . The move doesn’t directly help the restaurant sector which is still getting 20%-30% of LPG supplies, said Sagar Daryani, co-founder & CEO at Wow! Momo Foods and president at National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). State-wise, the supply situation varies with some such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan restricting allocation for restaurants, hurting the sector , Daryani said.
Business
Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p
Motorists are facing higher fuel prices ahead of Easter break due to the conflict in the Middle East, the RAC says.
Source link
Business
E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday unveiled its ‘Payments Vision 2028’ document, outlining a roadmap that includes exploring electronic cheques, expanding regulatory oversight to digital platforms, and strengthening safeguards in the fast-growing payments ecosystem, PTI reported.The central bank said it will examine the introduction of e-cheques to combine the advantages of paper instruments with the speed and reliability of digital payments. “To leverage the unique benefits of paper-based instruments and the speed and reliability of electronic payments, and cater to new business use cases, the introduction of electronic cheques in India shall be explored,” the RBI said.Alongside, the RBI is considering widening the regulatory ambit to include entities such as e-commerce marketplaces and centralised platforms that play a growing role in facilitating digital transactions.“In addition, e-commerce marketplaces and centralized platforms have been assuming significant responsibilities that could have implications on the orderly functioning of the payments ecosystem. These aspects shall be examined in detail and, if required, the scope of direct regulations shall be extended to cover such entities,” the document said.The vision document also proposes allowing users to enable or disable transactions across digital payment modes, similar to controls available for card transactions.To address fraud risks, the RBI is exploring a “shared responsibility framework” under which both the issuing bank and the beneficiary bank would share liability in cases of unauthorised digital transactions.The central bank also plans to review cheque design and security features, introduce a Domestic Legal Entity Identifier (DLEI) framework for better transaction traceability, and bring in a Cyber Key Risk Indicators (KRI) framework for non-bank payment system operators.Other initiatives include exploring white-label solutions in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), developing interoperability in the Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS), and introducing a ‘Payments Switching Service’ to ease customer migration across platforms.The RBI said it will also review the cross-border payments ecosystem to improve efficiency and streamline authorisation processes, alongside publishing periodic reports on global and domestic payment trends.Additionally, the central bank aims to enhance access to payment data and reimagine the card payments ecosystem by promoting secure tokenisation, improved transparency in pricing, and greater choice for users and merchants.
-
Business1 week agoFlipkart group CFO to leave co amid IPO plans – The Times of India
-
Fashion7 days agoChina’s textile & apparel exports surge 17% to $50 bn in Jan-Feb 2026
-
Business1 week agoVideo: The Effects of High Oil Prices
-
Sports1 week agoRating Adidas’ 2026 World Cup away shirts: Argentina, Spain, Mexico and more
-
Fashion1 week agoThe hidden $1.62 war tax now embedded in every garment you source
-
Sports1 week agoAmerican Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti thanks Trump for Army-Navy game executive order
-
Tech1 week ago
The Corsair 4000D RS PC Case Keeps Your System Cool
-
Tech1 week ago‘Uncanny Valley’: Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’
