Pakistan’s struggling citizens face another blow as electricity prices have been increased nationwide, adding to the burden of already high inflation.

A notification issued by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) announced a 20 paisas per unit increase in electricity prices, citing quarterly adjustments.

The notification specifies that this increase is for the first quarter of the current fiscal year and will be applicable for the month of December 2024. Importantly, the increase will not affect lifeline and prepaid electricity consumers.

This latest hike comes on the heels of a previous adjustment of Rs1.74 per unit, which was collected in November and covered the last quarter of the previous fiscal year.

The cumulative effect of rising petroleum product prices and now this electricity price increase is expected to further exacerbate the financial pressures on Pakistani households.