Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launches Ramazan program in Islamabad. Photo: APP
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday officially unveiled the Prime Minister’s Ramazan Package 2026, worth Rs 38 billion, benefitting over 12 million families through digital payments.
Addressing the ceremony, the Prime Minister said that they scrapped the old distribution system last year because the products provided to deserving families under this system were of poor quality and people used to queue, compromising their self-esteem.
With the introduction of the digital system, direct cash payments were made last year to deserving families under a new digital cashless system, he said, adding that a third-party audit of Rs 20 billion allocated in the previous year’s relief package, for the deserving, found the distribution mechanism very transparent and free of corruption.
The Prime Minister, in a speech broadcast on national television channels, said that based on the experience of previous years, this year the package would be distributed with a new commitment and improvement, adding that each deserving family would now receive an increased amount of Rs 13,000.
He said that a sum of Rs 38 billion would be distributed through digital wallets and banking services across the four provinces, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, which would involve huge efforts in terms of volume and challenge.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Security Syed Imran Ahamd Shah said an increased amount of Rs 13,000 would be provided to each deserving family, while Rs 10 billion had also been allocated to those already benefiting from the scheme.
Digital banking and cashless economy have not only improved transparency but also saved time and dignity for 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 instructions of the Prime Minister.
A total amount of Rs 38 billion has been earmarked for the relief package benefitting over 12 million families and helping around 36 million people, he added.
He said the State Bank of Pakistan had also issued a framework for distribution of the package, adding that a 9999 helpline, mobile application and portal had also been introduced for assistance.
