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Govt seeks to raise power rate by Rs3.55 per unit

Wants to extract Rs146bn in quarterly tariff adjustment from consumers in six instalments to minimise ‘price shock’ ISLAMABAD: The rising electricity costs appeared to have put the power companies in a vicious cycle of declining consumption and shifting resultant additional capacity charges to consumers, compelling the government to seek staggered imposition of Rs146 billion quarterly charges i

Stocks shed 771 points on lack of triggers

Shares listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange registered a modestly positive opening on Monday before succumbing to a selling spree. Topline Securities said a number of unfavourable factors kept the index of representative shares down throughout the day. The current account, which was in surplus for four consecutive months, registered a deficit of $0.8 billion in July, hurting sentiments of inve

PKR slides by Rs1.35 against dollar in interbank

The Pakistani rupee fell by Rs1.35 against the US dollar during interbank trade on Monday, extending its losses from the previous week. The local currency closed at Rs297.13, rising by Rs1.35 from the last week’s close of Rs295.78, according to data shared by the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP). In the open market, the dollar was changing hands for Rs307. According to Kh

Sugar exports continue despite rise in local prices

The export of sugar rose by an astonishing 100 per cent in the first month of the current fiscal year despite soaring retail prices, showed data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Monday. As consumers grapple with high sweetener prices at home, sugar exports in July stood at 5,542 tonnes against no exports in the same month last year. The PDM government had allowed sugar exports i

HR startup raises $1.3m in seed round

HR startup Paismo has raised a seed round of $1.3 million, which takes its total funding to date to $1.5m, the company said on Monday. Speaking to Dawn, Paismo co-founder and CEO Rebecka Zavaleta said the start-up helps businesses address HR challenges like managing employees, keeping track of their attendance and performance, providing them with benefits and processing their payroll. “The s