Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reached the Senate for a session Friday.
The session has a 19 point agenda which will be discussed today.
In its session on Thursday, the Senate was informed that eighty-four oil and gas discoveries were made in the country during the last three years.
Replying to a question during the Question Hour, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi informed the House that the estimated reserves of fifty discoveries have been evaluated as twenty-three million barrels of recoverable oil and 1409 Billion Cubic Feet of recoverable gas.
He said that reserves of thirty-four discoveries are being appraised.
Answering a question, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said that eleven thousand and seventeen villages have been electrified during the tenure of the present government throughout the country.
He said that ninety-three per cent households are using electricity in the country.
To a question, Abid Sher Ali said that in the current budget the import of LED bulbs has been exempted from the duty. He said, in the same way, the local assembling companies of LED bulbs have been exempted from duty on the components used in the LED bulbs.
Answering a question, Abid Sher said that at present the amount of Circular Debt is 334.8 billion rupees. He said the government is trying hard for clearance of the dues of power producers. He said at present there is no issue of payment as power producers are being paid timely. He said no plant remained closed due to non-payments during the last financial year.
Answering a question, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources informed the House that LNG is being imported to fill the gap between demand and supply of gas in the country.
He said the total quantity of LNG imported from March 2015 to June this year is 117 million MMBTU and the expenditures incurred on the same are 773 million dollars.
He said estimated the quantity of LNG to be imported up to 31st December this year is 76 million MMBTU which will be imported mainly from Qatar under Sale and Purchase Agreement.
Responding to a call attention notice, moved by Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, regarding two percent increase in eighty thousand registered drugs and medicines by Drug Registration Board which will result into shortage and overpricing of life-saving drugs in the country, Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said that there is no shortage of any kind of medicine in the country.
She said the prices have been increased due to improved quality of the medicines and according to the Consumer Price Index
