ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Sharif was informed on Thursday that more than 7.5 million citizens have benefited from the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme since its launch on September 15, while over 8.4million people have registered for the subsidy.
The figures were shared at a review meeting chaired by the prime minister to assess progress on the scheme, which provides fuel subsidies to owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and cars with engines of up to 800cc.
According to a briefing at the meeting, 12.2 million fuel subsidy tokens have been issued since the scheme was launched, of which 10.3 million have been used.
READ MORE: 7.6m registrations made under a special fuel relief scheme
The scheme has entered its third week, with citizens who received the subsidy during the first or second week becoming eligible to receive the next weekly subsidy, the meeting was told.
The programme is being implemented in 129 districts across the country, with all petrol stations facilitating citizens under the scheme, according to the briefing.
A 24-hour call centre has been established to guide citizens and petrol pump owners, while the Prime Minister’s Office’s Public Affairs Unit and elected representatives are assisting people with registration.
The PM, while reviewing the implementation, reiterated the government’s commitment to providing relief to low-income and middle-class households amid rising petroleum prices.
He said timely government measures had enabled citizens to benefit from the fuel subsidy and expressed satisfaction over the number of people who had availed themselves of the scheme in the short period since its launch.
He lauded the performance of the government team involved in implementing the programme, describing it as an example of effective and coordinated efforts by the government machinery.
He also appreciated the efforts of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, IT Minister Shaza Fatima, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and all federal and provincial officials associated with the scheme.
The PM said the database being developed through the fuel subsidy programme would also be used in future to support citizens.
The meeting was attended by Dar, Aurangzeb, Cheema, Tarar, Shaza, State Minister for Finance Bilal Kayani, Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Bajwa and senior officials of relevant institutions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026