KARACHI: Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said women seeking to benefit from the provincial government’s electric scooter scheme must possess a permanent driving licence and successfully complete a driving test.
Speaking to the media, Memon clarified that applicants holding only learner permits would not qualify for the scheme.
He said the initiative had also encouraged a significant increase in the number of women applying for driving licences across the province. According to the minister, more than 50,000 women have now applied for licences, compared with only 154 women who held valid licences when the electric scooter programme was launched.
“If 50,000 women have to be provided electric scooters, the Sindh government will provide them,” Memon said. However, he stressed that scooters would only be handed over to applicants who possessed permanent licences and had cleared the required driving test.
The minister also warned recipients against violating the terms and conditions of the scheme, saying strict action would be taken against those found misusing the scooters.
He said the government had received complaints that some beneficiaries had changed the colour of their scooters so that men could use them.
Memon announced that surprise inspections would be conducted to monitor compliance. Scooters would be confiscated if men were found riding vehicles issued under the women-focused scheme, he added.
The minister also mentioned the Benazir Income Support Programme and other welfare initiatives designed to assist financially vulnerable families.
Highlighting the Sindh government’s development and welfare programmes, Memon referred to initiatives such as the Hari Card for farmers and the Labour Card for workers.
He also cited infrastructure and development projects in Mirpurkhas and Thar, along with the establishment of hospitals and universities, as examples of initiatives undertaken by the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government.
Memon stressed that beneficiaries of government schemes, including the electric scooters, would not be under any obligation to vote for the PPP.
