Latest news with #PunjabZakatandUshrCouncil
Express Tribune
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Zakat dept slashes marriage grant
The Zakat department has halved the marriage grant for deserving families, reducing it from Rs0.1 million to Rs50,000. Furthermore, no Eidul Fitr Zakat aid was distributed to beneficiaries this year. However, the department has promised that all registered Zakat recipients will receive Eid gifts before Eidul Azha. In a recent meeting of the Punjab Zakat and Ushr Council, chaired by Rana Manawar Hussain, it was also decided to provide electronic motorbikes and scooters to eligible students from Zakat-recipient families. A sub-committee has been formed to finalise decisions and allocate necessary funds. Council members expressed strong dissatisfaction over the failure to form local Zakat committees across the province and directed that their formation be expedited. The department has not disbursed subsistence allowances, scholarships, or financial aid for blind individuals and leprosy patients for the past 13 months. Government hospitals have also been left without Zakat funds, halting free medical treatments, medications, surgeries, and dialysis — resulting in the reported deaths of several underprivileged patients. Due to the absence of appointed district Zakat chairpersons, their participation in the meeting was not possible. The council has called for panels of candidates from various districts, with a decision made to issue appointment notifications soon. The council also reviewed recommendations from sub-committees on various allocations, and it was agreed to distribute subsistence allowances through local committees before Eidul Azha. The revised marriage grant is aimed at benefiting a larger number of families. Immediate distribution of Zakat funds at the provincial level for education and healthcare was also approved, along with an increase in funds under the Ta'leef-e-Qulub programme. Discussions were held regarding staff salaries, employment terms, and other benefits, with the matter handed over to a sub-committee for further investigation. Approval was granted for an e-bike scheme for deserving students, although final decisions on ownership will be made later. Chairman Rana Manawar Hussain emphasised that Zakat funds will be distributed via JazzCash and Jazz Wallet, with strict merit and transparency.
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Punjab to provide 10,000 electric bikes to students
The Punjab government has announced plans to distribute 10,000 free electric bikes to deserving students across the province under a new welfare initiative for Zakat-eligible individuals. The decision was made during a meeting of the sub-committee of the Punjab Zakat and Ushr Council, chaired by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Zakat and Ushr, Rashid Iqbal Nasrullah. 'This scheme is being launched on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz,' Nasrullah said. 'In the first phase, 2,000 bikes will be distributed.' The meeting was attended by Senator Dr Ghaus Muhammad Khan Niazi, MPA Malik Iftikhar Ahmed, Parliamentary Secretary for Zakat and Ushr Zubair Ahmed, as well as other provincial assembly members, the Administrator Zakat and Ushr Punjab, and senior departmental officials. The council members unanimously approved the distribution plan, which targets male and female students deemed eligible under the Zakat criteria. Nasrullah noted that the electric bike programme is part of a broader effort to support underprivileged segments of society through accessible transportation and sustainable mobility options. 'More welfare initiatives will be introduced to support Zakat beneficiaries in the future,' he added.
