ISLAMABAD: The government announced several changes to the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme on Saturday, including free SMS registration and revised fuel token rules aimed at making the programme more accessible to motorcycle, rickshaw and Qingqi users.
Speaking at a media briefing, Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the Rs500 per-token limit for two- and three-wheelers had been removed. Eligible users would now be able to receive four relief tokens each month, with each token providing a subsidy of Rs500.
Explaining the revised arrangement, the minister said that if two litres of petrol cost Rs780, a beneficiary using a Rs500 relief token would pay only Rs280.
She also announced that SMS charges had been abolished for all participants in the scheme, regardless of whether they owned an 800cc car or a two- or three-wheeler.
According to the minister, more than 1.75 million people had registered for the programme by 3pm on Saturday, while approximately 1.5 million fuel relief tokens had been generated.
SMS-Based Token Redemption Approved for Areas Without Internet
Separately, the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, approved a mechanism allowing fuel tokens to be redeemed through SMS at petrol stations without internet access.
The committee directed the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan to submit lists of stations facing connectivity problems so they could be included in the scheme without delay.
Registration remains open nationwide through SMS to 9771.
The meeting was attended by the ministers responsible for petroleum, economic affairs, information, and IT and telecommunication, along with the State Bank of Pakistan’s deputy governor, the Ogra chairman, the Pakistan Digital Authority chairman, the petroleum secretary and other senior federal and provincial officials.
