Govt Employees to Get Electric Bikes on Installments

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a plan to provide electric bikes to government employees up to BPS-16 on easy installments, as part of efforts to expand the use of electric vehicles.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister on Wednesday to review measures for promoting electric mobility.

Officials told the meeting that the government is targeting a transition of 30 percent of vehicles to electric power within five years, which could reduce fuel import costs by about $4.5 billion.

The prime minister instructed relevant departments to speed up initiatives aimed at increasing the use of electric vehicles. He said the shift to electric mobility would help cut the import bill while supporting environmental goals and improving energy security in the context of future demand.

He also directed that subsidies for electric motorbikes under the National EV Policy be handled transparently and that the rollout of the scheme be accelerated.

During the briefing, officials said 72 manufacturing certificates have been issued for electric motorcycles and rickshaws, while four have been issued for electric cars. They added that 123 applications have been received for setting up EV charging stations across the country.