Govt moves to plug gaps in fuel scheme

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has moved to plug gaps in the Prime Minister’s fuel relief scheme, allowing fuel-token redemption through SMS at stations without internet connectivity while directing that every operational station be brought onto the system without delay. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/ FM) Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired an important meeting of the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy on Saturday to review the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Special Relief Scheme. The committee approved the redemption of fuel tokens through SMS at stations located in areas without internet connectivity. Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the provinces will furnish lists of such stations so that they can be brought onto the scheme without delay. The committee was informed that an overwhelming majority of fuel stations across the country are now operational on the system, and citizens are redeeming fuel tokens. Registration continues nationwide through SMS to 9771. The State Bank of Pakistan informed the committee that all payment claims received over the past three days had been settled in full, with claims received each day processed on the same day. READ ALSO: Fuel subsidy scheme: PM directs setting up of facilitation desks The DPM/FM directed that every fuel station that is open and operational be brought onto the system, while stations found to be permanently closed or dealing exclusively in diesel should be identified and removed from the list so that the scheme’s coverage reflects the situation on the ground. The DPM/FM appreciated the efforts of the provincial administrations and acknowledged the cooperation extended by the State Bank of Pakistan, noting that the relief must continue to reach the intended beneficiaries without hindrance. The meeting was attended by the Ministers for Petroleum, Economic Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, and IT & Telecommunication; Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Chairman OGRA; Chairman Pakistan Digital Authority; Secretary Petroleum; Chief Commissioner ICT; Additional Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and senior officials from AJK, GB, Balochistan, and relevant federal and provincial departments. APP adds: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Saturday announced three major changes in the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme to facilitate beneficiaries, particularly motorcycle, rickshaw and Qingqi users. Addressing a media briefing, the minister said the eligibility of the scheme had been extended to motorcycles registered from January 1, 2006, instead of the previous 2011 cut-off. She said the decision was taken in response to feedback received from citizens and journalists regarding the eligibility of older motorcycles. Shaza Fatima said the Rs 500 per-token limit for two- and three-wheelers had also been revised. Under the revised mechanism, the previous five-litre limit per token had been abolished, allowing eligible motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users to purchase fuel according to their requirements. She said eligible two and three-wheeler users could obtain four tokens per month, with each token carrying a relief amount of Rs500. “For example, if two litres of petrol cost Rs780, the beneficiary would pay Rs280 after applying the Rs500 relief token, ” she explained. The minister said the third major change was the abolition of SMS charges across the board under the scheme. “SMS has been made free for everyone, whether they own an 800cc vehicle or a two or three-wheeler, ” she said. She said the measures were aimed at ensuring that more people could benefit from the relief scheme and that difficulties faced by citizens were being addressed continuously. According to Shaza Fatima, more than 1. 75 million registrations had been completed under the scheme by 3 pm, while around 1. 5 million tokens had been generated. She said more than 680, 000 tokens had already been redeemed at petrol stations. The minister said the government was closely monitoring registration and token redemption figures, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally following the implementation of the scheme. She said a steering committee headed by the Deputy Prime Minister and an implementation committee were working with relevant ministries, departments, OGRA, the State Bank of Pakistan and other institutions to resolve implementation-related issues. Shaza Fatima said a 24-hour control room had also been established at the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication to receive and address complaints. She urged citizens to remain vigilant against fraudsters, stressing that the government had imposed no charges for registration, SMS or issuance of tokens. “No one should pay anyone for registration, tokens or information about the scheme, ” she said, advising citizens not to share their CNIC numbers, vehicle registration details or other personal information with unauthorised persons. She said beneficiaries facing problems at petrol stations or during registration could lodge complaints by calling 9771. Petrol station operators using the token-validation application could also report technical or other problems through the same helpline, she added. The minister said district and provincial administrations were supporting implementation of the scheme, while banners and information about the registration process had been displayed at petrol stations. Explaining the registration procedure, Shaza Fatima said applicants had to send an SMS to 9771 containing their CNIC number, vehicle registration number, province code and vehicle registration date. She said the vehicle registration number should be entered without spaces. The registration date had been included as an additional verification measure to prevent unauthorised registration of vehicles, she added. The minister clarified that ownership of a motorcycle, Qingqi or rickshaw was not mandatory if the user had the relevant vehicle documents and custody. She said eligible motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users could send “TOK” to 9771 once a week to obtain their fuel relief token, while eligible car users could obtain tokens according to the prescribed schedule. She also emphasised that the entire registration and complaint process had been kept on ordinary SMS to ensure that people without smartphones or internet access could also benefit from the scheme. To a question, she said the government was continuously reviewing public feedback and would make further improvements where necessary to make the scheme easier and more accessible for citizens. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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