The federal government is preparing to introduce a digital system to ration petroleum products through a dedicated mobile application that will assign fuel quotas to registered users, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to brief President Asif Ali Zardari on the proposal and seek support for involving provinces in sharing the cost of fuel subsidies.
Sources told ProPakistani that the proposed app will require consumers to register by entering their vehicle registration number and national identity card details. Based on assessed usage patterns and availability, each user would be allocated a daily petrol or diesel quota that could be purchased within specified limits.
Officials said the move follows a comparative assessment of petroleum consumption over the past year, which showed that fuel usage has continued to increase despite higher prices.
Separately, the prime minister is expected to meet the president at Aiwan-i-Sadr later today to discuss plans to include provincial governments in financing subsidies on petroleum products.
According to sources, the federal government has already provided around Rs100 billion in fuel subsidies benefiting consumers across the country. The government is now engaging provincial administrations to contribute to the subsidy framework to ease pressure on federal finances.
Officials said the prime minister will also take the president into confidence regarding both the proposed fuel quota mechanism and the plan to broaden provincial participation in subsidy financing during the meeting.