ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima has clarified an important aspect of the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme, saying that citizens may still qualify for the petrol subsidy even if the vehicle or motorcycle they use is not registered in their name, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
Federal Ministers Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima and Ali Pervez Malik addressed a joint press conference, during which Shaza Fatima briefed the media on the mechanism and key features of the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Programme.
She said the scheme would provide a relief of Rs100 per litre of petrol to motorcycle riders and owners of vehicles with engine capacities of up to 800cc.
Motorcycle Riders Eligible for Up to Rs2,000 Monthly Relief
According to the IT minister, motorcycle riders will be eligible for a subsidy on up to 5 litres of petrol once a week, subject to a monthly limit of 20 litres. This means they can receive up to Rs2,000 in monthly fuel relief.
Rs3,000 Monthly Relief for 800cc Vehicles
Owners of eligible 800cc vehicles will receive a subsidy on 10 litres of petrol every 10 days, with a maximum monthly limit of 30 litres. This would allow eligible vehicle users to receive up to Rs3,000 in monthly fuel relief.
Age Limit for Eligible Vehicles
The scheme also sets age limits for vehicles eligible for the subsidy. Motorcycles up to 15 years old and 800cc vehicles up to 20 years old will qualify for the programme.
Simple Registration Through Mobile Phone
Citizens can register for the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme by sending an SMS to 9771 using their mobile phones.
Applicants will be required to provide the following information:
Name
CNIC number
Vehicle or motorcycle registration number
The first letter of the province name — P for Punjab, S for Sindh, K for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and B for Balochistan
Vehicle or motorcycle registration date
Vehicle Registration in Applicant’s Name Not Mandatory
Shaza Fatima clarified that the SIM card and CNIC associated with the mobile number used to send the registration SMS must be registered in the applicant’s own name.
However, the vehicle or motorcycle itself does not have to be registered in the applicant’s name. In other words, a person using a vehicle or motorcycle registered to someone else may still qualify for the subsidy if all other eligibility requirements are met.
How to Obtain the Token Code
Once the registration process has been completed, applicants will need to send “TOK” to 9771 via SMS to receive a token code.
According to the authorities, the correct token code will be required to avail the petrol subsidy, and fuel cannot be provided against another person’s token number.
