It called for renewed efforts to generate more electricity which is tied to economic revival and poverty reduction.

Surplus power production is a great achievement of the Government which will ensure rapid development and lift millions out of poverty, said Haji Naseemur Rehman, the central leader of the UBG in a statement issued here.

He said the business community is satisfied as the government is seriously perusing agenda to overcome energy crisis on the sustainable basis.

The government must promote private investments in the energy sector by introducing better regulations, he said, adding that access to energy is imperative to transform lives as a majority of Pakistanis as well as a third of the world’s population has no access to modern energy services, he said.

He said tens of millions of Pakistanis and 1.3 billion people worldwide are still without any form of electricity and 2.7 billion people still cook over open fires despite the availability of solutions.

Estimates say in the next sixteen years three billion will cook with traditional fuels, more than 30 million people will die due to smoke-related diseases and hundreds of millions will be confined to poverty due to lack of energy, he informed.

On average 70 percent are women who spend significant time and money to obtain energy that is not only unpredictable, expensive, unsafe, and highly polluting, he said.

He said lack of access to electricity also prevents the development of key social programmes like education, health, sanitation and provision of clean drinking water, continuing a cycle of poverty that is very difficult to break.

He said energy is vital to escape poverty but unfortunately lack of interest by policymakers has left a third of the world’s population with no access to modern energy services.