Islamabad (Web Desk): Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced on Saturday a set of major revisions to the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme, particularly to make the programme more convenient for motorcycle, rickshaw and Qingqi users.
Speaking to the media, the minister said the government had expanded the eligibility criteria for motorcycles by bringing vehicles registered on or after January 1, 2006, into the scheme. Previously, only motorcycles registered from 2011 onwards were eligible.
She said the change followed complaints and suggestions from members of the public as well as journalists over the exclusion of older motorcycles.
The government has also removed the previous five-litre restriction attached to each fuel relief token for two- and three-wheelers, Shaza Fatima said.
Under the new arrangement, eligible motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users can now purchase fuel according to their actual requirement instead of being restricted to five litres per token. Each eligible beneficiary can receive four tokens every month, with every token providing a relief of Rs500.
Explaining the mechanism, the minister said that if two litres of petrol cost Rs780, the beneficiary would only pay Rs280 after receiving the Rs500 relief provided through the token.
The third major adjustment concerns SMS charges, which have now been completely removed from the scheme.
Shaza Fatima said SMS services would be free for all beneficiaries, including people owning 800cc vehicles as well as those using motorcycles, Qingqis or rickshaws.
She said the latest measures were introduced to broaden access to the relief programme and resolve difficulties being reported by citizens during the registration and redemption process.
The minister said that more than 1.75 million registrations had been recorded under the scheme by 3 pm, while approximately 1.5 million fuel tokens had been generated. More than 680,000 of those tokens had already been redeemed at petrol stations.
Shaza said that the government was keeping a close watch on registration and token redemption figures, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally monitoring the scheme’s implementation.
She said a steering committee led by the Deputy Prime Minister and an implementation committee were working alongside concerned ministries, departments, OGRA, the State Bank of Pakistan and other institutions to deal with operational challenges.
A 24-hour control room has also been set up at the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication to receive complaints and help resolve issues, she added.
The minister warned the public to stay alert against individuals attempting to exploit the scheme for fraudulent purposes. She stressed that the government was not collecting any fee for registration, SMS services or the issuance of fuel tokens.
She advised citizens not to pay anyone in exchange for registration, tokens or information about the programme. She also urged them not to disclose their CNIC numbers, vehicle registration information or other personal details to unauthorised people.
Beneficiaries encountering difficulties during registration or at petrol stations can contact the helpline at 9771 to lodge complaints, she said.
Petrol station operators using the token-validation application can also use the same helpline to report technical faults and other problems, according to the minister.
She said district and provincial administrations were assisting in implementing the scheme, while banners and registration-related information had also been placed at petrol stations to guide citizens.
Explaining the registration process, Shaza Fatima said applicants need to send an SMS to 9771 containing their CNIC number, vehicle registration number, province code and vehicle registration date. She clarified that the vehicle registration number must be entered without spaces.
The registration date, she explained, had been added as an extra verification requirement to prevent unauthorised vehicles from being registered under the scheme.
The minister further clarified that applicants do not necessarily have to be the registered owners of motorcycles, Qingqis or rickshaws. They can qualify if they have the required vehicle documents and are in possession of the vehicle.
Eligible motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users can send “TOK” to 9771 once every week to receive their fuel relief token. Eligible car owners, meanwhile, can obtain their tokens according to the schedule prescribed for them.
Shaza Fatima said the government had intentionally kept registration and complaint procedures on the ordinary SMS system so that people without smartphones or internet access would not be excluded from the facility.
Responding to a question, she said authorities were continuing to review feedback from the public and would introduce further changes whenever needed to make the relief scheme easier to use and more accessible to citizens.