Senior officials at the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) have reportedly granted themselves salary increases of up to four times without obtaining approval from the federal cabinet.
The salary of NEPRA Chairman has surged to Rs. 3.25 million, while members now earn Rs. 2.95 million, surpassing the pay of superior court judges. This substantial increase includes a basic salary ranging from Rs. 700,000 to Rs. 773,000, a regulatory allowance of Rs. 631,000 to Rs. 700,000, and ad hoc reliefs for the years 2021 to 2024 totaling over Rs. 1.9 million.
In addition to their salaries, NEPRA officials enjoy various perks, including house rent allowances between Rs. 176,000 and Rs. 206,000, car monetization of Rs. 96,000, and utility allowances ranging from Rs. 32,000 to Rs. 35,000, as reported by Dawn.
The NEPRA Act of 1997 mandates that such salary revisions require federal government approval; however, these increases were implemented without the necessary authorization.
This decision has exacerbated pay disparities among regulatory bodies, while other NEPRA officials and regulators continue to adhere to the Management Position (MP) scale established by the Finance Ministry.
