Pakistan PM's Special Relief Scheme benefiting citizens with cheaper fuel

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s entire term has been characterised by one principle: Taking the tough decisions to right the economy for the long term while constantly navigating a soft landing for the most vulnerable in society.

Rising global oil prices, driven by the situation in the region, have hit oil-importing countries like Pakistan hard. The first to feel the impact are working class citizens who rely on motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqis and small cars to earn a living.

Shahbaz Sharif acted quickly. Despite limited fiscal space and international commitments, he launched the Prime Minister's Special Relief Scheme. It is a targeted, practical and financially responsible response, and it puts Pakistan among the very few countries to offer direct fuel relief to citizens against a global price shocks.

The scheme is now running successfully across Pakistan. Eligible owners of motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqis (2 wheeler/ 3 wheeler vehicles)  and cars up to 800 horsepower are receiving petrol at subsidized rates.

This is a tricky demographic to navigate. They fall outside conventional social-assistance programmes. However, without their transport not only do they not provide for their families effectively, they do not generate economic activity. These are the links that drive economies at a hyperlocal level. They are critical. This scheme reaches them directly.

Relief for two and three-wheelers:

  • Motorcycle, rickshaw and Qingqi users receive Rs. 500 relief per week through four tokens a month.

  • On the Prime Minister's direction, the minimum purchase requirement of five litres has been removed, so the full Rs. 500 relief now applies to any amount of petrol.

  • For example, if a rider buys 2 litres costing Rs. 780, they pay only Rs. 280.

Relief for cars up to 800cc: These cars get  Rs. 100 per litre cheaper on 10 litres every ten days, through three subsidized tokens a month. Bringing fuel prices down to pre-war era.

The program is also unique that it is dynamic and responding to citizen feedback in real time; like responding to public feedback, Prime Minister extended the scheme to motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqis from 15 years to 20 years old. Any of these vehicles registered on or after 1 January 2006 now qualify. Similarly, the registration SMS to 9771 was made completely free. No citizen pays anything to enroll. And the initial minimum fuel limit of5 L for 2/3 wheelers is now removed.

 How to register: Send an SMS to 9771 in this format: REG [space] CNIC number [space] vehicle number without spaces [space] first English letter of the province (e.g. S for Sindh) [space] vehicle registration date. After the confirmation message, send TOK to 9771 before visiting the petrol pump to receive a fuel token.

Built-in transparency: The Ministry of IT, led by Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, built the SMS registration, digital token and on-the-spot verification system in record time as compared to similar initiatives in Asia. It links each applicant's CNIC, CNIC-registered SIM, vehicle record and unique token, which prevents duplicate claims and misuse. A 24/7 control room monitors registrations, tokens and complaints and completes the feedback to fine tuning the program loop.

Public outreach: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, led by Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar, ran a nationwide awareness campaign across TV, radio, print and digital media. Youth teams deployed at petrol stations are testing the system in real conditions, guiding citizens and reporting issues for immediate resolution.

Leading by example: The federal government has also adopted austerity measures to save public money and fuel, so that relief can be directed to working and low-income families.

Personal oversight: The Prime Minister is supervising the scheme himself. Every expansion so far has come in direct response to public feedback, with the aim of making relief easier, broader and accessible to every eligible citizen.

The scheme's lasting value: This scheme allows Pakistan is building a secure digital economic record of a large critical part of its lower- and middle-income population, with safeguards for personal data. This will let the government identify affected citizens and reach them with direct, transparent and targeted programmes for assistance and behavior change.

The Minister of IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, managed to create, lead and execute a country wide subsidy programme powered by an enterprise grade application with full customer service support, coordinating with multiple ministries, bodies, authorities and private vendors, in just days. Internally for the first time the federal government has a clear playbook on how to execute across crisis scenarios with remarkable agility.