The Punjab government has announced a plan to give 10,000 electric bikes to students from various educational institute to address environmental issues in the provincial capital.
This initiative aims to promote the use of electric vehicles while offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly form of transportation.
The government and the Bank of Punjab worked together to offer students a financing plan that allowed them to buy electric bikes in convenient installments at a low-interest rate. A two-year financing period and a modest six percent markup have been agreed upon.
Provincial Minister for Planning and Development Bilal Afzal called a meeting with the P&D Board.
Attendees included members of the P&D Board, and other government officials, such as Chairman of the P&D Board Iftikhar Ali Sahoo and Secretary Muzaffar Khan Sial. The transport department gave a thorough briefing on the requirements for students to be eligible for electric bikes from well-known brands like Honda, and other options were examined during the discussion.
The government’s electric bike supply program, Minister Bilal Afzal stated, is a test initiative designed to capitalize on the market and encourage the usage of electric bikes. He gave the committee orders to create a logical and economic support model and submit a detailed plan for approval to the Punjab Chief Minister and the cabinet.
To ensure the success and efficiency of the e-bike program, Afzal promoted ongoing monitoring and highlighted the need for a structure to approve student applications.
Afzal outlined the first part of the idea, in which the Bank of Punjab will assist with a balloting method to provide e-bikes to eligible and position-holder students.
Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Chairman of the P&D Board, gave the essential departments—transport, Bank of Punjab, higher education, and finance—directives to work together on the program’s development. With a distinct quota for male and female students, he stated that the first distribution of e-bikes would target students in key cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Faisalabad.
The government’s dedication to environmentally friendly transportation options and preservation is shown by this ambitious project.