Senior officials of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) have significantly increased their salaries and allowances, bypassing the mandatory approval of the federal cabinet, BR reported citing sources.
This unauthorised pay hike comes at a time when the power sector faces mounting losses due to inefficiencies in distribution and management.
Under standard regulations, the chairperson and members of Nepra are entitled to a Management Position (MP) I scale, with basic salaries ranging between Rs629,000 and Rs772,780 per month. Including house rent and utility allowances, their gross salaries previously ranged from Rs800,000 to Rs1 million.
However, the recently approved revisions have tripled their remunerations, with the chairperson’s salary reaching Rs3.25 million and members earning up to Rs2.95 million.
The revised package includes a basic salary of Rs700,000 to Rs773,000, along with a Rs631,000 to Rs700,000 ‘regulatory allowance’, modeled after judicial benefits.
Additionally, Nepra officials secured multiple ad hoc reliefs, including Rs587,000 to Rs650,000 for 2024, Rs544,000 to Rs600,000 for 2023, Rs105,150 to Rs116,000 for 2022, and Rs70,000 to Rs77,300 for 2021. They also continue to receive house rent of Rs176,000 to Rs206,000, car monetization of Rs96,000, and utility allowances of Rs32,000 to Rs35,000.
The cumulative pay package now exceeds those of superior court judges, raising concerns over transparency and financial accountability.
Most Nepra members and the chairperson are retired bureaucrats, whose previous government salaries ranged between Rs600,000 and Rs700,000. The new salaries surpass their previous earnings by more than four times, creating a discrepancy among regulatory bodies where other officials remain under the MP scale set by the Ministry of Finance.
The pay raise has also fueled concerns over unequal compensation structures within regulatory authorities. Currently, only the chairperson of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) receives a special professional pay scale, capped between Rs1.5 million and Rs2 million.
Despite repeated inquiries, Nepra has not responded to requests for clarification on the basis of the salary increase or whether official approval was sought.
