Govt to Buy 24,000 Mobile Phones for Petrol Subsidy App

Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom has invited expressions of interest for the procurement of 24,000 mobile phones, which will be used to operate a petrol subsidy app.

The development comes amid an energy crisis where the government has decided to introduce a mobile application to provide subsidized fuel to consumers. Only PTA-approved devices will be considered for the initiative.

According to officials, the National IT Board will determine the pricing of the mobile phones, while oil marketing companies will be responsible for purchasing the devices and distributing them to petrol pumps across the country. A total of 24,000 mobile phones will be deployed at around 12,000 petrol pumps, with two nozzles at each pump designated for subsidized fuel distribution.

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The mobile application, which has already been developed by the IT Ministry, is currently in the final stages of testing. Through this system, digital vouchers will be issued to eligible users.

A proposal is under consideration to provide up to 20 liters of subsidized petrol per month to motorcycle owners, while a final decision on extending the subsidy to cars up to 800cc has yet to be made. Consumers will not be allowed to exceed their allocated quota.

Officials said the government is exploring multiple options to tackle the energy crisis and has also prepared contingency plans in case the situation worsens due to potential conflict. Meanwhile, monitoring of petrol pumps nationwide has already begun to ensure transparency and effective implementation of the subsidy program.