LAHORE – The Punjab government has decided in principle to include 50,000 more people in its ration card program and to collect data and carry out province-wide mapping of beggars.
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, where financial assistance for people living below the poverty line was discussed.
During the briefing, it was shared that more than 1.6 million people have benefited through the Ration Card, Himmat Card, and Minority Card programs. In the current fiscal year, monthly financial assistance will be provided to 1.4 million people through the Ration Card program and over 200,000 people through the Himmat Card program.
The meeting also approved the inclusion of an additional 50,000 beneficiaries in the ration card scheme.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed authorities to establish formal orphanages for abandoned young children and seek assistance from credible NGOs to improve welfare services for women and children, including cleaning and maintenance facilities for wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
She also instructed officials to involve the private sector in revamping Sanat Zar centers and to digitize the system for providing medicines through Zakat funds.
Maryam Nawaz said the government’s objective is the welfare and support of ordinary citizens, adding that the Social Welfare Department in Punjab will be transformed into a more public-friendly institution on the model of European countries, with every possible step taken for the rehabilitation of underprivileged people.
