PM orders licences of pumps denying fuel relief to beneficiaries cancelled

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the cancellation of licences of petrol pumps that refuse subsidised fuel to registered beneficiaries of the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Programme. The directive was given at a high-level meeting he chaired at the PM Office in Islamabad to review the programme, according to The Express Tribune and Daily Times.

He told the authorities to make sure registered beneficiaries face no hurdles in obtaining subsidised fuel. Daily Times reported that he expressed satisfaction over the programme's implementation and transparency, and appreciated IT Minister Shaza Fatima, IT Secretary Zarar Hashim Khan and their team for building a monitoring and dashboard system.

According to the figures presented, 15,519,282 citizens have registered so far. Of these, 15.06 million own motorcycles and about 449,000 to 449,800 own vehicles of up to 800cc, depending on the report. In all, 63,153,685 fuel tokens have been issued and 59,445,347 redeemed, a rate of just over 94 percent, The Express Tribune reported.

Payments of Rs28.6 billion had been made as of November 4, which is 38 percent of the total allocated amount, the same report said. The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet set aside Rs75 billion for the scheme on September 14. Separate call centres have been set up for consumers and petrol pumps to get information and report problems.

Daily Times reported that the scheme was announced in September for owners of motorcycles, rickshaws and vehicles up to 800cc. Owners of two- and three-wheelers get a subsidy of Rs100 per litre on a monthly quota of 20 litres. Owners of vehicles up to 800cc get the same Rs100 per litre on a quota of 30 litres.

Shehbaz Sharif said: "As a result of simplifying the process of registration and obtaining subsidies, there has been an increase in registrations, and more deserving citizens are benefiting from this facility." He also called the approach a "game-changer for such public welfare initiatives in the future", The Express Tribune reported.

At the same meeting the prime minister also directed that the 80 percent exports requirement be abolished for small and medium enterprises seeking long-term financing. He said no bank would be allowed to deviate from the concessional financing scheme for SMEs and exporters.