Subsidized Petrol Scheme Will Continue for Another 10 Months If Required, Cuts to State Budget Will Fund Public Relief: Ali Pervaiz Malik
ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik has reiterated the Government’s “absolute commitment” to public welfare, saying that if required the subsidy scheme for petrol by the Prime Minister would be continued for another 10 months, to be financed from the government’s targeted budget cuts.
In a public function the Petroleum Minister said that in the tough economic environment, neither the Prime Minister nor the government will take a step back. If this relief plan has to be continued for another 10 months or more, the government will reduce the budget of its own ministries by Rs 400 to 500 billion and allocate the same amount of money to its citizens, Malik said.
More than 6 million beneficiaries and protection of low-income riders.
The Minister reminded the audience of the outreach of the relief initiative:
Motorcycle and small vehicle petrol prices have been substantially reduced by up to Rs100 per litre with a specific focus on motorcycles and small vehicles by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Registration figures: Over 6 million people have now successfully registered their vehicles and motorcycles using the scheme and a large proportion are using vehicles older than 20 years.
Avoiding Past Failures: Minister Malik said Prime Minister Shehbaz was well aware of the challenges the public had to go through and that the current government would not repeat the economic blunders of last year (2022) under the previous government.
Be on guard for political unrest and protest.
On the national security and political fronts, Ali Pervaiz Malik warned of attempts to trouble the federal capital.
The Minister has said that all personal or political agendas have to be set aside and that the existence of Pakistan trumps all other considerations: “If anyone feels they can march on Islamabad for political goals, they are way off mark—the state is not weak. He reaffirmed the government’s full readiness to maintain public order, and emphasized that first the economic stabilization and relief for common people are the top concerns of the government.