Fuel subsidy scheme extended to internet-blind areas via SMS redemption
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday chaired a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy to evaluate the progress of the Prime Minister’s Special Relief Scheme. According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the committee was briefed that an overwhelming majority of fuel stations across Pakistan are now fully integrated into the…
The National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, met on Saturday to review the progress of the Prime Minister's Special Relief Scheme. The committee was informed that the majority of fuel stations in Pakistan have been integrated into the system, with citizens actively redeeming fuel tokens via SMS.
The committee approved extending fuel token redemption through SMS to areas without internet access. Provincial governments, including those of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, were asked to submit lists of offline fuel stations to integrate them into the network. The State Bank of Pakistan reported that all payment claims were settled daily, same-day.
Dar instructed officials to bring all operational fuel stations online and remove permanently closed or diesel-only pumps to align the scheme's database with ground realities. The meeting appreciated the coordination between provincial administrations and the central bank, emphasizing the need for timely relief to intended beneficiaries.
Federal ministers for petroleum, economic affairs, information, and IT attended, along with the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, chairmen of OGRA and the Pakistan Digital Authority, federal secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, and senior representatives from ICT, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan.
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