Punjab govt releases Rs90 million subsidy for 'Women-on-wheels' initiative

Initiative aims to improve women's accessibility and mobility

LAHORE: A subsidy of Rs90 million has been released by the Punjab government to provide motorcycles to working women under its 'Women-on-wheels' initiative, which aims to improve the group's accessibility and mobility.

The dispensation is for the current fiscal year as well as the next one.

Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) senior member Salman Sufi told The Express Tribune that in its nascent stage a pilot project would be rolled out.

"The project shall encompass areas such as Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Rawalpindi," Sufi said.

The project would be extended to other districts of the province after gauging the success of the pilot launch, he added.

The government has joined hands with the City Traffic Police and Punjab Transport Department for the initiative, the SMU member said.



Sufi said that 3,000 girls from the selected districts were given trained to ride a motorcycle.

"Hopefully, these cyclists will hit the roads in the coming months as bikes have been procured as well as the paperwork and other formalities complete," he added.

The project proposal documents reveal that the government would pay Rs86.88 million on the subsidy, two-months markup, and a media campaign in this fiscal year.

Furthermore, a payment of Rs3.11 million would be released for the markup subsidy in the upcoming financial year.

Some 3,026 motorcycles will be procured for the pilot project on which it will pay a subsidy of Rs26,435 per unit will be given.

Interestingly, Rs10 million has been earmarked for an extensive media campaign to promote the scheme.

Selected recipients will have to pay the remaining cost of the motorcycle after the subsidy in instalments.

Moreover, helmets, leg guards, canvas carrier bag shall also be provided to the cyclists.