164,000 Register for Punjab’s Green Credit Programme as EVs Dominate
LAHORE: More than 164,000 citizens have registered with the Punjab government’s Green Credit Programme, while 14,647 have earned green credits for various environmental initiatives, programme data shows.
Electric vehicles account for over 70 per cent of applications received under the programme, while initiatives related to water conservation, recycling at service stations and plastic waste management have attracted comparatively less interest.
According to the data, 46,365 registered participants are from Lahore and 114,913 from other districts of the province. Of the total, 144,036 are men and 20,656 women.
What Punjab’s Green Credit Programme offers
The programme offers green credits for 38 environmental initiatives covering air pollution reduction, water conservation, land restoration, waste management, awareness and biodiversity.
Green Credit Programme task team leader Dr Muhammad Wajid Ejaz said electric bikes and cars had attracted the greatest interest among participants. The programme also offers credits to encourage rickshaw owners to switch to environmentally friendly electric three-wheelers without abandoning their livelihood.
The push for electric two- and three-wheelers fits Punjab’s wider battle with air pollution. Lahore has repeatedly ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, and a recent Copernicus report flagged dangerous ozone levels over the city. Shifting bikes and rickshaws, which make up a large share of urban traffic, to electric power would cut both smoke and noise.
Water and plastic lag behind
Dr Ejaz said greater public and business participation was needed in water conservation. Under the programme, participants can receive Rs50,000 for installing rainwater harvesting systems and an additional Rs50,000 for arrangements to make the collected water reusable.
He said measures were also being taken to encourage service stations to treat and reuse wastewater, but progress in this area had remained limited.
The plastic recycling numbers are striking. Of about 150 organisations working in plastic recycling, only three have registered with the programme so far.
The credit data shows where the real action is. As many as 7,908 participants have earned green credits for initiatives aimed at improving air quality. Another 2,867 received credits for land improvement, 1,689 for waste management, 1,492 for environmental awareness, 279 for water conservation and efficient use, and 258 for biodiversity conservation.
The gaps: women and smaller cities
Two gaps stand out in the registration data. Women make up only about one in eight registered participants (20,656 of 164,692), suggesting the programme’s outreach has yet to reach women at scale. And while Lahore accounts for 46,365 registrations, the remaining 114,913 come from the rest of Punjab, a broad base that the government will need to keep engaged if the programme is to move beyond the provincial capital.
The programme sits alongside Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s wider environment push, which includes the Suthra Punjab sanitation drive now running on a seven-day deadline for its beat system. As climate pressures mount, Punjab is betting that paying citizens for green behaviour will work where awareness campaigns alone have not.
What is the Green Credit Programme?
It is a Punjab government initiative offering green credits to citizens and businesses for 38 environmental actions, from switching to electric vehicles and installing rainwater harvesting to recycling plastic and planting for biodiversity.
How many people have joined?
More than 164,000 citizens have registered, with 46,365 from Lahore and the rest from other districts. Of those registered, 14,647 have earned green credits so far.
Which initiatives are most popular?
Electric bikes and cars dominate, accounting for over 70 per cent of applications. Air quality initiatives have earned the most credits (7,908), while water conservation (279) and biodiversity (258) lag far behind.
