Five-litre limit removed from PM’s fuel relief scheme: Shaza Fatima

The government has removed the five-litre limit on petrol that could be purchased against a single token under the Prime Minister’s Shehbaz Sharif’s fuel relief scheme, Federal Minister for IT Shaza Fatima said on Saturday.

She said the move was aimed at facilitating beneficiaries amid rising international oil prices and the current economic situation.

The minister said the Prime Minister’s special relief scheme had been successfully launched across the country, with petrol being provided at a subsidised rate of Rs100 per litre.

She said the prime minister had also announced that registration messages for the scheme would be free of charge. According to Shaza, 1.75 million citizens registered for the scheme between Sept. 14 and 19, with two- and three-wheelers accounting for 91.6 per cent of registrations. Vehicles with engines up to 800cc accounted for the remaining 8.4pc.

Sept. 18 was the busiest day for registrations, with 511,961 people registering for the scheme.

Daily registrations stood at 38,974 on Sept. 14, 149,412 on Sept. 15, 349,935 on Sept. 16, 385,406 on Sept. 17 and 511,961 on Sept. 18.

The minister said 1,493,848 fuel tokens had so far been issued under the scheme.

She added that motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi rickshaws registered after Jan 1 would be eligible for registration under the programme.

Motorcyclists purchasing less than five litres of petrol would receive a weekly subsidy of Rs500, she said.

Older vehicles included

On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expanded the government’s fuel relief scheme to include motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi vehicles that are up to 20 years old, providing additional relief to owners of older vehicles.

Under the revised criteria, vehicles registered after Jan. 1, 2006, will be eligible for the scheme, which provides a Rs100-per-litre petrol subsidy. Authorities have been directed to implement the expanded categories immediately.

Previously, vehicles registered before Jan. 1, 2006, were excluded because of their age. The change follows concerns from owners of older motorcycles and rickshaws who were unable to benefit from the programme.

The scheme was launched to cushion low-income users from rising fuel prices and covers motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi vehicles and cars with engines up to 800cc. Registration is available through SMS and an online system.