Nepra under scrutiny for unapproved threefold salary increase
1. Federal govt seeks explanation from Nepra over unauthorised salary hike
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has taken notice of an unauthorised salary hike by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and issued a show-cause notice questioning the decision to raise salaries without cabinet approval.
During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan, government officials confirmed that Nepra had been formally served the notice over the salary increase.
The chairman and members of the regulatory authority reportedly tripled their salaries without obtaining the necessary approval from the federal cabinet. Sources indicate that any salary revision requires cabinet consent, yet Nepra officials bypassed this process, increasing salaries to between Rs2 million and Rs2.2 million.
Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal stated that Nepra must justify the hike, which violates Section 8 of the Nepra Act. He emphasized that all regulatory bodies operate under the jurisdiction of the prime minister or the federal cabinet.
The salary increase was implemented under the guise of ad hoc relief and regulatory allowances. A revised notification in October 2023 had previously set total salaries and benefits at Rs1 million. However, following the latest hike, the Nepra chairman's salary has exceeded Rs3.2 million, while the four members now receive up to Rs2.9 million each.
Speaking to Geo News on Tuesday, former Nepra chairman Tauseef H Farooqi stated that during his tenure, which ended in August 2023, his monthly salary was Rs790,000, while Nepra members were receiving Rs740,000. He reiterated that only the federal cabinet has the authority to approve salary increases for Nepra officials.
