Govt unveils Rs38bn Ramadan package for 12m deserving families across country

PM Shehbaz says each deserving family will now get an enhanced amount of Rs13,000

Funds to be distributed via digital payments to ensure transparency.

PM Shehbaz says govt has done away with old distribution system.

Families across all four provinces, AJK and GB to receive Ramadan funds.

Our Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally unveiled the Ramazan Package 2026 worth Rs38 billion, benefiting more than 12 million families through digital payments.

Addressing the ceremony in the federal capital on Saturday, the premier said that they had done away with the old distribution system last year as the stuff provided to the deserving families under the system was of low quality and people used to wait in queues, compromising their self-respect.

With the introduction of the digital system, direct cash payments were made to the deserving families under a new cashless digital system last year, he said, adding that a third-party audit of Rs20 billion allocated for the relief package the previous year, for the deserving, found the distribution mechanism highly transparent and free from corruption.

PM Shehbaz said that on the basis of previous years’ experience, this year, the package would be distributed with new commitment and improvement, adding that each deserving family would now get an enhanced amount of Rs13,000.

He said a sum of Rs38 billion would be distributed through wallets and digital banking in all four provinces, Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB), involving huge efforts in terms of volume and challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah said an increased amount of Rs13,000 would be provided to each deserving family, while Rs10 billion had also been allocated for those already benefited from the system.

The digital banking and cashless economy not only enhanced transparency but also saved public time and their dignity, he added.

Secretary Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Aamer Ali Ahmad said that it would be a historic relief package as the government would be rolling out a comprehensive relief package bases upon compassion and empathy in line with the spirit of the holy month.

He apprised that the previous package amount of Rs5,000 per family was now enhanced to Rs13,000 per family on the instruction of the prime minister.

A total amount of Rs38 billion had been earmarked for the relief package benefitting more than 12 million families and assisting about 36 million people, he added.

He said the State Bank of Pakistan had also issued a framework for the distribution of the package, adding a helpline 9999, mobile app and portal had also been introduced for support.