Pakistan PM orders setting up desks to help citizens access fuel subsidy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the establishment of facilitation desks at petrol stations to help eligible citizens register for and access a government fuel subsidy scheme aimed at cushioning low- and middle-income households from higher petroleum prices.

Chairing a meeting on Wednesday to review progress on the PM Special Relief Scheme, Sharif directed authorities to ensure that citizens face no difficulty in obtaining the subsidy or completing the registration process.

The facilitation desks will be staffed by representatives of the administration, volunteers and petrol station staff, who will guide eligible applicants through registration and other required procedures, the government said in a statement.

Sharif also directed the authorities to launch extensive public awareness campaigns and provide information about the scheme’s eligibility criteria, registration procedure and other requirements in simple and accessible language.

The government is providing fuel subsidies under the PM Special Relief Scheme to owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc, according to a briefing given at the meeting.

Officials said the scheme had been designed to make registration simple and required only four basic pieces of information: the applicant’s national identity card number, vehicle number plate, province of registration and vehicle registration date.

Scheme expanded nationwide

The government initially launched the pilot phase of the fuel subsidy scheme in Islamabad before expanding it across the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, officials told the meeting.

Successful registrations under the scheme were gradually increasing, the briefing said, adding that provincial governments were cooperating with the federal government in its nationwide implementation.

The government has made detailed information about the scheme available on its official website.

The scheme was introduced to provide financial relief to low- and middle-income groups affected by a rise in petroleum prices following tensions in the Gulf and their impact on global energy markets.

The government has particularly targeted people who rely on motorcycles, rickshaws and small cars for daily transportation, seeking to ease the impact of higher fuel costs on household budgets.

Sharif had earlier launched the pilot phase of the initiative in Islamabad before its expansion to other parts of the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahsan Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Ali Pervez Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa and senior officials from relevant institutions attended the meeting.