1 day Ago By OUR STAFF REPORT
LAHORE - In a landmark move to uplift the welfare of industrial workers and miners, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the country’s largest-ever ration card programme, worth Rs 84 billion ahead of the Labour Day. Under the CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif Ration Card Programme, registered social security workers and miners will receive a monthly subsidy of Rs3,000. The initiative, described as a major step towards economic empowerment and social welfare, was launched during a high-profile event at Lahore’s Expo Centre attended by thousands of workers from across the province.
Beneficiaries will receive their subsidy via the newly introduced ‘JS Bank Zindagi’ card, which will offer digital cash facilities, advance salary options, transfer services, rewards, and insurance coverage. A total of 13 additional benefits and services will be available through the card, specifically tailored to meet the needs of workers and their families. Pakistan shall defend its sovereignty with full force, PM tells UN Chief On the occasion, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also laid the foundation stone for a number of welfare projects.
These included Social Security Hospitals in Sargodha and Kasur, a 50-bed hospital in Rahim Yar Khan, and Punjab’s first Maryam Nawaz Wellness Center for workers. Additionally, she announced a 200-bed Cardiac City dedicated to the treatment of labourers. The chief minister also announced to give ration cards to 12.
5 lac working families. The chief minister also launched a ‘teleclinics’ project to provide remote healthcare access to workers across Punjab and inaugurated Taxila Labour Colonies and the Workers Welfare Complex in Sundar Industrial Estate. New labour colonies were also announced in Warburton and Multan (Phase II).
In a symbolic gesture, Maryam Nawaz joined workers at the Expo Centre, engaging in open conversations to inquire about their wages, working conditions, and access to facilities. She later presided over a lottery draw for motorcycles and solar panels to be distributed among workers. PM says we are creating a digital Pakistan Provincial Labour Minister Malik Faisal Khokhar highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Labour Department, announcing the establishment of 300 new daycare centres for working women in factories.
Minister for Mines and Minerals Sher Ali Gorchani added that mineral rights are now being auctioned through a transparent e-auction process to ensure fairness and accountability. Madam chief minister said the country’s progress owes much to the sweat and hard work of labourers, and that the state must recognize and reward their contributions with meaningful welfare initiatives. Speaking at a Labour Day ceremony, Maryam Nawaz launched the CM Ration Card Programme, the largest such welfare initiative in Punjab’s history, initially worth Rs50 billion annually, offering Rs3,000 monthly subsidies to 40,000 registered social security workers and miners through the JS Bank Zindagi card.
No evidence provided by India to substantiate baseless allegations against Pakistan: DG ISPR Labourers are the backbone of our development — they build roads, hospitals, airports, and motorways, she said. If they are building the nation, they deserve to share in its prosperity. The CM emphasized that the ration card was not a charity, but a dignified support for those who work 15 to 16 hours a day.
It is my wish and prayer that no worker’s child ever goes to bed hungry, she added. Maryam Nawaz praised Provincial Ministers Faisal Ayub Khokhar and Sher Ali Gorchani for rolling out the scheme to thousands of deserving workers. She also reiterated her administration’s commitment to ensure the minimum wage of Rs37,000 is paid across the province, without exception.
Recalling her interaction with a disabled worker from Muzaffargarh, the CM said his resolve embodied the spirit of Pakistan’s labour force. These are the people we are here to serve, and I do not want them waiting in queues for help. The government must go to them, not the other way around, she said, citing recent examples where rations and Rs10,000 cash assistance were delivered to homes during Ramadan.
India planning military action against Pakistan in next 24-36 hours: Attaullah Tarar Touching on broader development, she said the vision of her father, former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, had led to mega infrastructure and energy projects that uplifted Pakistan’s economy. Whenever the economy improved or inflation eased, it was during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, she said, also crediting Shahbaz Sharif for recently reducing electricity tariffs and subsidizing flour prices. Highlighting her government’s achievements, the CM said 30,000 houses have already been built under the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar scheme in 12 months, with the goal of 100,000 homes this year.
One lakh laptops will be distributed to students. Education expenses for 50,000 students will be covered for three years. Roads stretching 100 kilometers are under construction across Punjab.
Telemedicine clinics, wellness centres, and new hospitals are being built, including the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology in Sargodha, to be operational by June. She also announced progress on garbage collection under Suthra Punjab, electric bus services across cities, and the launch of RT bus systems, including a metro bus system in Gujranwala. Responding to concerns about wheat prices, Maryam Nawaz said fixing wheat at Rs4,000 per maund would burden 150 million consumers.
She reiterated that Rs5,000 per acre would be given to small-scale farmers with less than 12 acres. This is a new Punjab—where the government goes to the people’s doorstep to solve problems. I am fighting the people’s war and won’t rest until prosperity reaches every home, she said.
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