<mark>There was also general dissatisfaction with the ineffective and untimely response of service providers to technical problems such as transformer breakdowns. All respondents were aware of the electricity company’s complaint offices, and many male respondents had visited them at least once. However, a substantial number of respondents reported having given up on their complaints after visiting the office. We also spoke to both DISCO officials, and they explained that conditions for good service and accurate billing were made difficult by resource constraints, especially short‐staffing.</mark>

# **Social Assistance**

Energy affordability assistance is arguably part of the social safety net. If subsidies are not helping households to afford basic electricity needs without resorting to harmful coping mechanisms, improved assistance should be developed in the context of the country’s broader safety net policy. BISP, Pakistan’s largest safety net scheme, is an antipoverty initiative covering over 5 million households and providing monthly cash transfers as well as other support. Despite its size, BISP is targeted only to the poorest 15‐20 percent of households in Pakistan. We specifically interviewed BISP beneficiaries and non‐beneficiaries about the program in order to explore what role it could play in any alternative energy affordability policy.

Respondents overall demonstrated a high level of awareness of BISP. Low‐income households in particular were aware of BISP’s eligibility criteria and application requirements, since most had participated in the 2010 NSER survey (from which most BISP beneficiaries were selected). BISP beneficiaries consider the cash assistance an essential element of their income that helps them afford their utility bills. Around 70 percent of BISP beneficiaries interviewed perceived the application procedure and the amount of money received as fair.

**Box 3: In‐Depth Interviews with Service Providers** According to a meter reading supervisor at PESCO, in Lower Dir district of KPK, meter readers face challenges during meter reading and bill distribution due to a shortage of field workers and difficulty reaching remote areas. Due to the limited number of staff, the company could not deliver bills on time to such areas. This has consequences for the customers: “ _Just two or three days have been given to us for the distribution of bills. Because of the limited time frame we cannot reach bills to all people, and thus some people get their bills after the due date for bill payment. As a result they have to pay extra surcharge and fines.”_ (Meter reader supervisor, Lower Dir, KPK) The supervisor also emphasized that there is a tension between meter readers and communities. He said that there have been instances in which consumers threatened meter readers over higher bills. A sub‐division officer at PESCO observed that meter readers are often accused of unfair readings. He mentioned that the manual meter reading system needs to be replaced with a new system. According to sub‐division officers in his area, there are more than 30,000 customers, but his staff checks only 6,000 to 7,000 meters a month. The remaining households receive estimated bills.

A considerable number of non‐BISP beneficiaries in the low‐income group, on the other hand, felt that they should have been selected and reported concerns about the clarity and fairness of BISP selection procedures. These respondents expressed their desire for additional support mechanisms that could help them with their energy expenses.

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