Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik on Tuesday said the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme had been designed mainly to provide relief to low-income people, including delivery riders, rickshaw drivers and families dependent on motorcycles and small vehicles.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said eligible motorcycle users would receive Rs100 per litre relief on up to 20 litres of petrol per month, amounting to a maximum monthly relief of Rs2,000. Similarly, users of small cars would be eligible for relief on up to 30 litres, providing them with up to Rs3,000 monthly relief.
He said the initiative was aimed at reducing the impact of increased fuel prices on people who relied on motorcycles, rickshaws and small vehicles for their livelihood and essential daily travel.
Giving an example, Dr Musadik said delivery riders had been particularly affected by higher petrol prices as they continued to travel the same distances to deliver food and other goods while their fuel costs had increased substantially. He said a relief of Rs2,000 could make a significant difference to a low-income delivery rider’s household by helping meet basic expenses such as food, milk and eggs.
The minister also cited the example of a woman who drives a Qingqi rickshaw to support her family. He said the Rs2,000 monthly fuel relief could help her meet her child’s school fee.
He said another beneficiary drives an 800cc car to a factory while his wife uses the same vehicle to take their children to school. Such a consumer would receive relief on up to 30 litres of petrol, amounting to Rs3,000 a month, he added.
Dr Musadik said the government had opted for targeted relief instead of reducing fuel prices for all consumers because of the country’s economic constraints.
He said the recent increase in fuel prices was linked to a rise in international crude oil prices, which had increased from around $55-65 per barrel to more than $100 amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
“The price of oil has not come down and the war has not stopped,” he said, adding that the government was seeking to absorb part of the external shock to protect vulnerable segments of society.
The minister clarified that the petroleum levy was Rs80 per litre and the carbon levy Rs5, making a combined Rs85, while the relief announced under the scheme was Rs100 per litre.
He said the relief was still insufficient to fully offset the impact of high fuel prices but represented the maximum burden the national economy could currently absorb.
Dr Musadik said the scheme had been launched in Islamabad and would be extended to all four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan within the next few days.
Under the scheme, motorcycle users would receive five litres of subsidised petrol every week, while car users would be entitled to 10 litres every 10 days.
He said eligible consumers would first register through an SMS process by sending a message to 9771. After registration, they would receive a token through a subsequent SMS process, which could be presented at a petrol station to obtain fuel at the subsidised rate.
Information stalls would also be established at various locations to facilitate citizens in registration and resolve difficulties relating to the scheme, he added.
The minister said the government’s priority was to protect low-income people from external economic shocks and provide them maximum possible relief within the country’s available resources.
