Moon Desk: As conflict and instability in the Middle East disrupted global energy markets and pushed oil prices higher, oil-importing countries such as Pakistan faced renewed pressure on fuel prices and household living standards. The impact was felt most sharply by working and lower-income people who depend on motorcycles, rickshaws, Qingqis and small cars for their daily mobility and livelihoods.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif introduced the Prime Minister’s Special Relief Scheme, an innovative, targeted and digitally managed mechanism to shield vulnerable citizens from the impact of rising petrol prices. The scheme provides Rs. 100 per litre relief, effectively helping eligible citizens purchase petrol at prices closer to the pre-war level.
The initiative is particularly significant because many of its beneficiaries fall outside conventional social-assistance programmes. For a motorcycle or rickshaw driver, fuel is not simply a household expense—it is an essential input for earning a livelihood. By reducing the cost of petrol directly at the pump, the scheme helps protect both household incomes and the small-scale economic activity generated by millions of daily commuters and workers.
Under the scheme, motorcycle, Qingqi and rickshaw users receive a Rs. 500 weekly fuel token, with four tokens available each month. Following public feedback, the earlier five-litre minimum purchase requirement was removed, allowing beneficiaries to use the full Rs. 500 relief even when purchasing less than five litres. Owners of cars up to 800cc receive Rs. 100 per litre relief on up to 10 litres every 10 days, amounting to three tokens per month.
The response has been substantial. Within just eight days of nationwide implementation, more than 5.8 million people had registered, around 6.1 million fuel tokens had been generated and approximately 4.7 million people had already obtained fuel through the facility.
What distinguishes the programme is its emphasis on ease, transparency and technology. Citizens register through a simple SMS to 9771, while digital verification links the applicant, vehicle and fuel token. At the petrol station, the token is verified through a dedicated digital system before the subsidy is applied. This creates a traceable mechanism designed to reduce duplication and misuse while ensuring that relief reaches the intended beneficiary.
The scheme has also demonstrated the ability to respond rapidly to citizens. The Prime Minister expanded eligibility for older two- and three-wheelers from 15 to 20 years, removed the five-litre minimum purchase requirement and made the registration SMS completely free. These changes followed feedback received during the initial rollout.
The initiative represents a coordinated effort across government. The Ministry of IT and Telecom, under Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, developed the technology-driven registration, token and verification mechanism, while the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, under Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar, supported nationwide public awareness and outreach. The government has also adopted austerity measures to conserve public resources and enable greater focus on relief for working and lower-income families.
The Prime Minister’s Special Relief Scheme therefore offers a distinctive model of crisis-responsive governance: identify those most exposed to an economic shock, deliver assistance directly at the point of need, use technology to strengthen transparency, and continuously improve the system in response to citizens.
In an environment where international developments can rapidly translate into higher fuel prices and pressure on living standards, the scheme demonstrates how a government can use targeted subsidy, digital technology and citizen feedback together to make relief simpler, more transparent and more accessible.