DPM Dar hails 'whole of govt' approach as he reviews govt fuel subsidy scheme

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar praised the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Scheme, describing it as a "whole of government" approach. This relief scheme, implemented on September 17, aimed to assist motorcycle, rickshaw, and vehicle owners up to 800cc amid the rising fuel prices due to the Middle East situation. Dar chaired a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy to assess the scheme's progress, attended by key officials from various ministries and departments.

As of now, about 7.60 million registrations have been made, and the token redemption process has entered its second week, with 7.71 million tokens already redeemed. The scheme offers a Rs100 per liter subsidy for two- and three-wheeled vehicle owners with a monthly quota of 20 liters and the same subsidy for 30 liters for those with vehicles up to 800cc.

In addition to the relief scheme, the government reintroduced austerity measures on September 17, setting 9pm as the closing time for markets and reducing fuel provision for official vehicles by 50% for three months. Dar also chaired a meeting on fuel conservation measures, emphasizing fiscal discipline and prudent use of public resources.

The rising fuel prices were attributed to renewed hostilities in the Middle East, leading to disruptions in major oil supply routes. The International Energy Agency forecasted that global oil supply and demand would fall further than expected, causing fuel prices to soar.