By Asad Cheema
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday said around 5.8 million people had registered under the Prime Minister’s fuel relief scheme, while around 6.1 million tokens had been generated and 4.7 million people had obtained fuel through the facility.
Addressing a press conference along with State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, she said the government had removed the five-litre limit for motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi following public feedback.
The ownership requirement had also been removed for motorcycle and rickshaw users who were using rented vehicles, she added. She said motorcycle and rickshaw users could register vehicles even if they were not the owners, adding that registration was required only once and a token had to be obtained before visiting a petrol pump.
Shaza Fatima said motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi and cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc were covered under the scheme.
Motorcycle and rickshaw users could receive a Rs 500 token once a week, with no five-litre limit, while eligible vehicles up to 800cc could receive a discount of Rs 100 per litre for 10 litres on each token.
She said around 4.7 million people had benefited from the scheme within eight days across all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The minister thanked petrol pump dealers, oil marketing companies and OGRA for facilitating citizens under the scheme and urged petrol pump staff to assist eligible people with registration and provide information about the facility.
She said the government was conducting awareness campaigns and would also use the media to reach more people, particularly those affected by higher petrol prices.
Shaza Fatima said the government was carrying out live monitoring of the scheme through a dashboard. She said updates were being provided almost every four hours, while complaints and feedback were also being monitored.
She said the Petroleum Ministry, Finance Ministry, State Bank, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Information and other institutions had worked together to make the scheme operational from a technical and logistical perspective.
The minister said the government had also addressed the issue of token validation at petrol pumps in areas facing internet connectivity problems.
Responding to a question, she said around 23,000 people in Azad Kashmir and around 5,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan had redeemed their tokens, adding that the government expected the numbers to increase.
Shaza Fatima said the scheme was aimed at providing relief to people during the difficult economic situation.
She said the facility provided Rs 500 free petrol every week to motorcycle users, while monthly relief of Rs 2,000 had
been made available for motorcycles and Rs 3,000 for small cars.
She said the scheme provided relief of Rs 100 per litre to small-car users, which was almost equal to the total taxes paid on petrol by such users.
The minister said the scheme was operational at petrol pumps and was not merely a paper-based facility.
She said registration could be completed within a few minutes, followed by token issuance and fuel provision.
Regarding eligibility, Shaza Fatima said a vehicle registered against an individual’s identity card and having an engine capacity of up to 800cc was eligible, regardless of whether it was being used for ride-hailing or another purpose. However, she said vehicles registered in the name of a company were not covered under the scheme.
She also said SMS registration was being provided free of charge and people could contact 9771 for registration and assistance.
Shaza Fatima said provincial governments and their administrations were playing an important role in overseeing the programme.
She said around three meetings were being held daily to monitor its implementation, while officials were also present on the ground.
She said she had personally visited petrol stations where people were facing problems and observed the implementation of the scheme.
The minister said the government was also monitoring petrol stations through a live GIS map to identify facilities being used and address problems.
She said the government had tried to use all available resources that could be deployed immediately to provide relief to citizens.
Regarding older motorcycles, Shaza Fatima said she had seen very few cases involving motorcycles registered before 2006.
She said there were some old cars, including FX models, but added that most of the people targeted by the subsidy were receiving the facility.
She said the scheme was continuing smoothly and petrol pumps were being paid within a 24-hour cycle.
Responding to a question, she said only one vehicle could be registered per Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) under the Prime Minister’s fuel relief scheme.
By Asad Cheema
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday said around 5.8 million people had registered under the Prime Minister’s fuel relief scheme, while around 6.1 million tokens had been generated and 4.7 million people had obtained fuel through the facility.
Addressing a press conference along with State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, she said the government had removed the five-litre limit for motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi following public feedback.
The ownership requirement had also been removed for motorcycle and rickshaw users who were using rented vehicles, she added. She said motorcycle and rickshaw users could register vehicles even if they were not the owners, adding that registration was required only once and a token had to be obtained before visiting a petrol pump.
Shaza Fatima said motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqi and cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc were covered under the scheme.
Motorcycle and rickshaw users could receive a Rs 500 token once a week, with no five-litre limit, while eligible vehicles up to 800cc could receive a discount of Rs 100 per litre for 10 litres on each token.
She said around 4.7 million people had benefited from the scheme within eight days across all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The minister thanked petrol pump dealers, oil marketing companies and OGRA for facilitating citizens under the scheme and urged petrol pump staff to assist eligible people with registration and provide information about the facility.
She said the government was conducting awareness campaigns and would also use the media to reach more people, particularly those affected by higher petrol prices.
Shaza Fatima said the government was carrying out live monitoring of the scheme through a dashboard. She said updates were being provided almost every four hours, while complaints and feedback were also being monitored.
She said the Petroleum Ministry, Finance Ministry, State Bank, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Information and other institutions had worked together to make the scheme operational from a technical and logistical perspective.
The minister said the government had also addressed the issue of token validation at petrol pumps in areas facing internet connectivity problems.
Responding to a question, she said around 23,000 people in Azad Kashmir and around 5,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan had redeemed their tokens, adding that the government expected the numbers to increase.
Shaza Fatima said the scheme was aimed at providing relief to people during the difficult economic situation.
She said the facility provided Rs 500 free petrol every week to motorcycle users, while monthly relief of Rs 2,000 had
been made available for motorcycles and Rs 3,000 for small cars.
She said the scheme provided relief of Rs 100 per litre to small-car users, which was almost equal to the total taxes paid on petrol by such users.
The minister said the scheme was operational at petrol pumps and was not merely a paper-based facility.
She said registration could be completed within a few minutes, followed by token issuance and fuel provision.
Regarding eligibility, Shaza Fatima said a vehicle registered against an individual’s identity card and having an engine capacity of up to 800cc was eligible, regardless of whether it was being used for ride-hailing or another purpose. However, she said vehicles registered in the name of a company were not covered under the scheme.
She also said SMS registration was being provided free of charge and people could contact 9771 for registration and assistance.
Shaza Fatima said provincial governments and their administrations were playing an important role in overseeing the programme.
She said around three meetings were being held daily to monitor its implementation, while officials were also present on the ground.
She said she had personally visited petrol stations where people were facing problems and observed the implementation of the scheme.
The minister said the government was also monitoring petrol stations through a live GIS map to identify facilities being used and address problems.
She said the government had tried to use all available resources that could be deployed immediately to provide relief to citizens.
Regarding older motorcycles, Shaza Fatima said she had seen very few cases involving motorcycles registered before 2006.
She said there were some old cars, including FX models, but added that most of the people targeted by the subsidy were receiving the facility.
She said the scheme was continuing smoothly and petrol pumps were being paid within a 24-hour cycle.
Responding to a question, she said only one vehicle could be registered per Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) under the Prime Minister’s fuel relief scheme.
