By Qasim Ali
LAHORE:Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday digitally inaugurated Pakistan’s first Rahmat Card programme, under which financial assistance will be provided to 50,000 widows and orphan children across the province.According to a detailed briefing by Advisor to CM Punjab on Zakat and Ushr, Rashid Nasrullah, a record amount of Rs5 billion has been allocated from the provincial Zakat Fund for the initiative.Under the Rahmat Card programme, Rs100,000 each will be provided to deserving widows and orphan children, the briefing said. It added that only those Muslim widows and orphan children who are eligible for Zakat under Shariah would qualify for the assistance.It was further informed that government employees, pensioners and Zakat payers (Sahib-e-Nisab individuals) will not be eligible for the programme.The briefing said applications for the Rahmat Card can be submitted through a mobile application as well as via the official web portal (https://rahmatcard.punjab.gov.pk). A helpline (1077) has also been established for further information.Beneficiaries will be selected through the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER) database, while final selection will be made on the basis of district quotas under the same system. In case of non-registration in PSER, applicant data will be verified through NADRA.
It was also informed that financial assistance under the programme will be disbursed through JazzCash wallet accounts, and on the instructions of the CM, the government will bear the service charges of the wallet accounts.CM Maryam Nawaz directed that transparency, fairness and merit-based utilization of Zakat funds must be ensured in the Rahmat Card programme.She said the objective of the initiative is to ensure social dignity and economic empowerment of deserving individuals, adding that the programme has been launched under the guidance of PML-N Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
