Pakistan widens Rs100 fuel relief to 20-year-old bikes and rickshaws
Vehicles registered from January 1, 2006 can now enter Pakistan’s fuel relief scheme
Dubai: Pakistan has expanded its Rs100-per-litre fuel relief scheme to include motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi rickshaws that are up to 20 years old, widening access just days after the subsidy was rolled out nationwide.
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Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif issued special directives on September 18 to include motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqis registered on or after January 1, 2006 under the Prime Minister Fuel Relief Scheme.
The change means people using vehicles that are up to 20 years old can now register for the subsidy. When the scheme was detailed earlier this week, motorcycles and three-wheelers were required to have been registered on or after January 1, 2011.
The latest directive extends that cut-off by five years, opening the programme to a larger pool of older motorcycles and three-wheelers.
Rs100 relief on up to 20 litres
The core benefit remains unchanged. Eligible motorcycle, rickshaw, Qingqi and other two- and three-wheeler users can receive a Rs100 discount per litre on up to 20 litres of petrol a month.
That puts the maximum monthly relief for these users at Rs2,000 if the full quota is used.
Small cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc are covered separately, with Rs100 per litre available on up to 30 litres a month, giving eligible users a maximum monthly benefit of Rs3,000. The government announced those limits when the programme was launched on September 13.
“The government is fully aware of the burden being placed on the public due to the increase in oil prices,” Shehbaz said when announcing the scheme.
He added, “In this hour of difficulty, we will not leave the public alone.”
Scheme reached the rest of Pakistan on September 17
The Prime Minister Fuel Relief Scheme was announced on September 13, with registration opening the same day.
The subsidy first took effect in Islamabad at midnight at the start of September 15, before being extended across the rest of Pakistan, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, at midnight at the start of September 17.
The September 18 directive comes a day after that nationwide rollout and changes the age requirement for motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqis.
When the programme was initially detailed, qualifying motorcycles and three-wheelers had to be registered on or after January 1, 2011, while cars of up to 800cc had a January 1, 2006 cut-off.
Under the new directive, motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqis registered on or after January 1, 2006 can also be brought within the scheme.
Relief introduced after fuel prices climbed
The scheme was announced after higher international oil prices increased the cost of petrol and diesel in Pakistan.
When Shehbaz unveiled the programme on September 13, petrol was selling at Rs375.82 per litre and high-speed diesel at Rs403.32 per litre. At that petrol price, the Rs100 subsidy reduced the cost of fuel covered by the scheme to Rs275.82 per litre for eligible users.
