LAHORE: The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has provided an extra budget of Rs43.2 billion for the registered laborers through the Punjab ration card scheme. This has come after the initial budget of Rs28 billion which has been provided to 1.2 million registered laborers. The program is officially referred to as the Maryam Nawaz Ration Card Scheme.

As per an official statement released on Monday, the total number of workers who have been registered under the Punjab ration card scheme has hit a record figure of 1,403,063. Out of these, 1,244,130 registered workers have already been issued their Maryam Nawaz Ration Cards, whereas 4,984 cards are being printed right now.

Process of Punjab Ration Card Programme

Through the Punjab Ration Card Scheme, registered labourers receive essential items to the tune of Rs 3,000 per month from any one of 62,000 retail outlets located across the state of Punjab. The distribution mechanism adopted by the scheme ensures that the beneficiaries have access to subsidised products at locations near them.

Further, the chief minister has also decided to continue the Punjab ration card program for the financial year 2026-27, thereby suggesting that the program will be continued to be an integral part of the labor welfare policy in the province. More than 100,000 laborers working under the program of Suthra Punjab, the cleanliness program in the province, are also enjoying the benefits of the ration card program.

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Chairing the review meeting of ration card programme, the chief minister issued directives to the officials that more registered workers need to be added in Punjab. The Labour Minister, Manshaullah Butt, and Secretary of Labour, Danish Afzal, apprised the meeting at length about the progress of the program.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister added that it was her duty to ensure the financial safety of all workers and labourers in Punjab. She instructed the authorities to enhance the beneficiary base of the Punjab ration card scheme, thus making clear the commitment of the government to increase the coverage of the scheme in the coming months.

Now that registration figures have already topped 1.4 million and the latest funds to the tune of Rs43.2 billion have been sanctioned, there seems no doubt that the Punjab ration card scheme is all set to scale new heights during the financial year 2026-27. For all those registered labourers in Punjab, the scheme provides an easy way out of availing necessities on a monthly basis.