Punjab allocates billions for social protection, welfare programs

LAHORE, Jun 16 (APP): The Punjab government has significantly increased its focus on social welfare and protection, allocating substantial funds for various social spending initiatives during the fiscal year 2025-26.

According to official budget documents, Punjab spent Rs361 billion on social spending programs during the last fiscal year. As part of efforts to strengthen social protection mechanisms, the government completed the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER) at a cost of Rs20.8 billion in the previous fiscal year. The registry has compiled social and economic data of more than 110 million individuals, providing a comprehensive database to support targeted welfare interventions.

To further enhance the effectiveness of social protection initiatives, the government has allocated an additional Rs2 billion for capacity building and institutional strengthening of the Punjab Social Protection Authority.

Under the Ramzan Nigehban Package, nearly 3.4 million deserving families received financial assistance of Rs10,000 each during Ramzan 2026 at a total cost of approximately Rs39 billion. For the current fiscal year 2026-2027, the government has earmarked Rs37 billion for the continuation of the package.

Meanwhile, Rs24.87 billion was spent under the Maryam Nawaz Social Security Ration Card Program, aimed at supporting low-income households. For the ongoing fiscal year, the government has increased the allocation for the initiative to Rs40 billion.

The provincial government has also included the Himmat Program among its key welfare projects. Under this scheme, Rs5 billion has been allocated to provide support and assistance to persons with disabilities and other special-needs individuals.

The Punjab government also provided assistance of Rs 25000 to more than 6000 Imam Masjid spending Rs 9.22 billion last year while for the fiscal year 2026-27,  Rs 18.5 billion have been allocated.