Punjab unveils Rs47b Ramazan Nigahban Package for 4.2 million families

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif Monday, while chairing a meeting on advance preparations for Ramazan, announced a comprehensive Ramazan relief initiative worth Rs47 billion aimed at supporting 4.2 million deserving families across the province.

Under the Ramazan Nigahban Package, each eligible family will receive Rs10,000, benefiting an estimated 10 million people.

The chief minister approved the package ahead of Ramazan, stating that no deserving person in Punjab would be left without support during the holy month.

The initiative includes the issuance of Ramazan Nigahban Cards, which will enable beneficiaries to withdraw cash through Bank of Punjab branchless banking agents, One Link Network ATMs, and make purchases from designated shopkeepers. Cardholders will also be able to buy essential items in addition to cash assistance. District administrations will conduct door-to-door distribution of the cards in relevant areas.

To facilitate access, the government has established 136 activation centres for the Nigahban Card, with additional activation available at Bank of Punjab ATMs. A Ramazan Nigahban dashboard and counter-verification system have also been set up to ensure transparency, including verification calls to cardholders.

The chief minister also approved the continuation and expansion of CM Ration Card, Nigahban Dastarkhwan, and Sahulat Bazaar initiatives. Ration card holders will receive Rs10,000 during Ramazan, an increase from the regular Rs3,000 monthly assistance.

As part of the food support programme, eight “Nigahban Dastarkhawans – Maryam Ke Mehman” will be established in every tehsil, providing iftar to 2,000 fasting people daily.

Commissioners, deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners have been directed to monitor the dastarkhawans, while the Punjab Food Authority will conduct daily inspections. The iftar menu will include dates, samosas, milk, bananas and chicken biryani.

To control prices and improve access to essentials, 65 functional Sahulat Bazaars, including 50 permanent markets and 15 mobile “on-the-go” markets, will operate in 30 districts during Ramazan, with temporary markets to be set up in 11 additional districts. The chief minister also ordered the immediate identification of land for permanent convenience markets in 60 tehsils.

A provincial monitoring room equipped with 1,250 cameras has been established to oversee pricing, cleanliness, security and other matters at convenience markets. The chief minister instructed authorities to take further steps to reduce prices during Ramazan, with flour mills and chicken, grocery and ghee associations directed to cooperate.

Addressing the meeting, Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that serving the public during Ramazan was a collective responsibility of the administration.

She directed officials to improve sanitation, ordered timely completion of cleanliness work in canals across districts, and expressed dissatisfaction over sanitation conditions in Sargodha, instructing the deputy commissioner to improve performance.

“No deserving family should feel alone in Ramazan,” the chief minister said, urging affluent citizens to support those in need and stressing that public service during the holy month brings social and moral uplift.