Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launches Ramazan package in Islamabad. Photo: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday formally launched the Prime Minister’s Ramazan 2026 package worth Rs 38 billion, benefiting over 12 million families through digital payments.
At the ceremony, the prime minister said that last year they scrapped the old distribution system as the products provided to deserving families under the system were of low quality and people used to wait in queues, compromising their self-esteem.
With the introduction of the digital system, direct cash payments were made last year to deserving families under a new cashless digital system, he said, adding that an independent audit of Rs 20 billion allocated for the relief package the previous year for the deserving found the distribution mechanism to be highly transparent and corruption-free.
The Prime Minister, in a speech aired on national television channels, said that based on the experience of previous years, this year the package will be distributed with new commitment and improvement, adding that each deserving family will now receive an increased amount of Rs 13,000.
He said a sum of Rs 38 billion would be distributed through wallets and digital banking in the four provinces, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, which would entail enormous efforts in terms of volume and challenge.
Speaking on the occasion, Poverty Alleviation and Social Security Minister Syed Imran Ahamd Shah said that an increased amount of Rs 13,000 would be provided to each family in need, while Rs 10,000 crore had also been allocated to those already benefiting from the scheme.
Digital banking and cashless economy not only improved transparency but also saved time and dignity of the public, he added.
Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) Secretary Aamer Ali Ahmad said it would be a historic relief package as the government would launch a comprehensive relief package based on compassion and empathy in line with the spirit of the holy month.
He informed that the previous package amount of Rs 5,000 per family has now been increased to Rs 13,000 per family on the direction of the chief minister.
A total amount of Rs 38,000 crore has been allocated for the relief package which will benefit more than 12 million families and help around 36 million people, he added.
He said the State Bank of Pakistan had also issued a framework for the distribution of the package, adding that a 9999 helpline, mobile application and portal had also been introduced to provide support.
