5.8 million people registered under fuel relief scheme: ministers

Islamabad (Web Desk): Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Friday that nearly 5.8 million citizens had signed up for the Prime Minister’s fuel relief programme, with approximately 6.1 million tokens issued so far. Of these, around 4.7 million people had already availed themselves of the subsidised fuel facility.

Speaking at a press conference with State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, she said the government had revised the scheme after receiving feedback from the public and had withdrawn the five-litre cap previously imposed on motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi vehicles.

She added that the condition requiring applicants to own their vehicles had also been removed for people using rented motorcycles and rickshaws.

Such users could now register a vehicle even if it was not registered in their own name. Registration was required only once, after which users had to secure a token before going to a petrol station.

Shaza Fatima said that the programme covered motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi vehicles and cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc.

Under the revised arrangement, motorcycle and rickshaw users could obtain a Rs500 token once every week without any five-litre restriction. Owners or eligible users of vehicles up to 800cc could receive a discount of Rs100 per litre for up to 10 litres against each token.

The minister said the facility had benefited about 4.7 million people within eight days across all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

She expressed appreciation for the cooperation extended by petrol pump dealers, oil marketing companies and OGRA, while asking petrol station staff to guide eligible citizens through registration and provide them with relevant information about the programme.

Shaza Fatima said the government was running awareness drives to inform the public about the facility and would also utilise the media to reach a larger number of people, particularly those facing the impact of increased petrol prices.

She said the implementation of the programme was being monitored in real time through a dedicated dashboard. Progress reports were being updated roughly every four hours, while complaints and public feedback were also being tracked.

The minister said the Petroleum Ministry, Finance Ministry, State Bank of Pakistan, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Information and several other institutions had collaborated to ensure the scheme became operational from both technical and logistical perspectives.

She added that the government had also resolved difficulties related to token verification at petrol stations located in areas with poor internet connectivity.

In response to a question, Shaza Fatima said approximately 23,000 people in Azad Kashmir and nearly 5,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan had already redeemed their tokens. She expressed the expectation that participation in these regions would rise further.

She said the programme had been introduced to provide financial relief to citizens amid challenging economic conditions.

The minister said that motorcycle users were being provided Rs500 worth of free petrol every week, while the overall monthly benefit amounted to Rs2,000 for motorcycles and Rs3,000 for small cars.

She explained that small-car users were receiving a Rs100-per-litre reduction, which was almost equivalent to the total amount of petrol taxes paid by such consumers.

Shaza Fatima stressed that the programme was fully active at petrol stations and was not simply a paper-based initiative. She said applicants could complete registration within a few minutes, after which a token would be issued and the subsidised fuel could be obtained.

Clarifying the eligibility criteria, she said vehicles registered against an individual’s CNIC with an engine capacity of up to 800cc qualified for the programme, regardless of whether they were being used for ride-hailing services or other purposes. However, vehicles registered in the name of companies were excluded.

She further said SMS-based registration was available free of cost, while citizens could contact 9771 for registration-related assistance and information.

The minister said provincial governments and their respective administrations were also actively involved in supervising the implementation of the programme.

She said approximately three meetings were being conducted every day to review progress, with officials also deployed in the field to monitor the process.

Shaza Fatima added that she had personally visited petrol stations where citizens were experiencing difficulties and had observed the implementation of the scheme on the ground.

The government was also using a live GIS-based map to monitor petrol stations, identify locations where the facility was being utilised and respond to any issues arising there.

She said the government had sought to utilise every resource that could be immediately deployed to provide relief to the public.

Addressing concerns about older motorcycles, Shaza Fatima said she had come across only a small number of cases involving motorcycles registered before 2006.

She noted that some older cars, including FX models, were also present, but maintained that the majority of people targeted under the subsidy programme were successfully receiving the benefit.

The minister said the scheme was operating smoothly and that payments to petrol pumps were being processed within a 24-hour cycle.

In response to another question, she clarified that only one vehicle could be registered against a single Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) under the Prime Minister’s fuel relief programme.