Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday approved a revised structure for the public under the fuel relief scheme announced on Sept. 13, expanding it to include older two- and three-wheelers, and easing weekly limits to offer motorists more flexibility in how they use the facility.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said the prime minister had directed that motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi rickshaws up to 20 years old should also be included in the scheme. “All motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi rickshaws registered on or after Jan. 1, 2006, will be eligible for registration under the fuel relief scheme,” it said, adding two- and three-wheelers could now benefit from a concession of Rs. 500/week without quantity limits.
Previously, each token entitled the holder to five liters of fuel. Now, citizens would be able to obtain a token that entitles them to a Rs. 500 discount with a validity of seven days from issuance. Eligible citizens would now be able to avail a maximum concession of Rs. 2,000/month, through multiple token redemptions.
Also on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told a press conference around 24 million people are currently benefitting from the fuel relief scheme. He said parliamentarians and political teams were assisting citizens through facilitation camps, adding he had personally visited several suck desks and received feedback and addressed complaints.
Acknowledging initial hiccups in the implementation of the scheme, he said these were resolved in meetings with the All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association.