Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has launched the ‘CM Punjab Rehmat Card’ programme for providing structured financial assistance to widows and orphaned children in the province.

The chief minister digitally inaugurated the programme.

During a briefing, Special Assistant Rashid Iqbal Nasrullah said a record amount of Rs5 billion had been allocated from the provincial Zakat fund for the initiative.

Under the programme, 50,000 widows and orphans will receive financial assistance of Rs100,000 each. Only widows and orphan children entitled to Zakat will qualify for the scheme, while government employees, pensioners and financially self-sufficient citizens will not be eligible.

Applications can be submitted online with guidance through a helpline.

Beneficiaries will be selected through the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER) database on the basis of district quotas. In case of non-registration in the PSER, applicants’ data will be verified through the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The financial assistance will be disbursed through wallet accounts, with service charges to be borne by the provincial government.

The CM ordered that the implementation of the programme be ensured in a transparent, fair and merit-based manner to guarantee proper utilisation of the Zakat.

She said the objective of the programme was to ensure social dignity and economic empowerment of the deserving segments of society. She expressed the resolve to continue expanding welfare efforts.

The chief minister said it is her desire that no widow or orphan in Punjab should feel helpless or unsupported, adding that the government believes in public service rather than traditional politics.