More than 10 million people have benefited from the government’s fuel subsidy scheme, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirming that the programme will continue with Rs75 billion in funding.
Speaking at an event for ministers and officials involved in running the scheme, PM said more than 10.8 million people had registered. Around 27 million subsidy tokens have been issued, of which nearly 19.4 million have been redeemed.
The prime minister said about 9.2 million people had redeemed subsidy tokens more than once, with motorcyclists making up nearly 96 percent of the beneficiaries.
The scheme covers eligible motorcyclists, rickshaw and Qingqi operators, and owners of cars with engine capacities of up to 800cc. The subsidy is intended to ease fuel costs for people who rely on smaller vehicles for daily travel and work.
Sharif said the benefits reached beyond registered users. Based on an average household size of five, he estimated that around 50 million people were benefiting directly or indirectly from the programme.
He acknowledged that the scheme had faced challenges during its planning and rollout. However, he credited coordination between federal and provincial governments and other institutions for helping it reach more people.
The prime minister thanked provincial governments and their chief ministers for supporting the initiative. He said their cooperation had been key to expanding its coverage.
Sharif also compared the programme with an earlier initiative launched in February, which recorded a peak of around 1.3 million redeemed fuel subsidy tokens. He said joint efforts by the federal and provincial governments had helped the current scheme reach a much larger number of people.
During the event, he praised Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for their roles in implementing the programme.
He also recognised officials from the Petroleum Division, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the State Bank of Pakistan, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and telecommunications companies.
Sharif announced that Shaza Fatima would receive a national award in March for her contribution to the scheme. Other ministers and officials involved in its implementation would also receive shields in recognition of their work.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, the prime minister said the programme would continue with Rs75 billion allocated to support it.