Lahore:
The Punjab government has launched financial incentives within the framework of the Green Credit Program of the Chief to citizens to switch from petrol to electric motorcycles.
Eligible people can gain up to 100,000 rupees by participating in the initiative to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transport.
According to the program manager, Ricewana Anjum, the program offers a green credit up to Rs100,000 for those who buy electric motorcycles and register on the web portal of the Punjab Green green credit program.
She shared that the government aims to convert 2,000 petrol motorcycles and 250 other electric alternative vehicles during the current financial year. This change should reduce annual carbon emissions by 8,000 tonnes. The wider objective is to reduce transport emissions by 20% by 2030, by transitioning 30% of the province’s transport fleet to electric vehicles.
The manager has revealed that the program includes 35 initiatives focused on citizens through which they could help reduce carbon emissions and gain credits in return. Initiatives include daily practices that support environmental sustainability.
“Under international Pakistan climate commitments, 30% of the transport sector must go to electric vehicles by 2030,” she said. “To support this, citizens who still use petrol motorcycles are offered incentives to go to electric bikes and earn awards.”
Explaining the process, Ricewana Anjum said that citizens who bought an electric bike after December 2024 can register on the portal.
They are required to submit information, in particular the date of purchase of the bicycle, the company and the model, the registration number, the chassis number, a copy of the registration book and the photographs of the vehicle. A representative of the program will visit the verification applicant, after which the beneficiary will receive an initial payment of 50,000 rupees.
Additional 50,000 rupees can be obtained by connecting the electric bike with the Green Credit Mobile Application. The runners who complete 6,000 kilometers travel within six months of registration will be eligible for the second episode.
Officials of the Punjab environmental protection agency (EPA) said that the renovation of old petrol bikes with electric motors or batteries was not eligible for the program. Only citizens who buy a new electric motorcycle and record it as part of the program are eligible for financial incentive.
Tourn in Central Asia
A group of bikers of 15 members sparked a tourist and cultural expedition to Central Asia to strengthen tourist ties between Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan.
The bikers were seen by the director general of Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP), Dr. Nasir Mehmood of the Gaddafi stadium.
Group leader, Mukarram Tareen, said that the trip extended over 23 days and will cover around 5,000 kilometers, crossing historic, cultural and natural monuments through Afghanistan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan.
“Our route will take us from Islamabad to Kabul, Kandahar, Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent. We plan to stay in these cities and engage with local communities. The main objective of this expedition is to promote peaceful relations, regional friendship and cultural harmony,” said Tareen.
A member of the group, Nazar Saeed Khan, stressed that the land route to the Republics of Central Asia has long been inactive. “We aim to reconnect with biker clubs in Afghanistan, Tadjikistan and Uzbekistan, and invite them to visit Pakistan. Such exchanges can stimulate tourism and offer opportunities to discover the cultures of the other of the first hand,” he added.
