Punjab Zakat and Ushr Council Slashes Marriage Grants, Vows Reforms Amid Mounting Criticism
The Punjab Zakat and Ushr Council has announced a major cut to its welfare programs, reducing the marriage grant for deserving families from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 50,000.
Adding to concerns, the department failed to distribute Zakat aid for Eid al-Fitr this year. However, officials assured that Eid gifts will be provided to registered beneficiaries ahead of Eid al-Azha.
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During a council meeting chaired by Rana Manawar Hussain, several new initiatives were approved, including the provision of electronic motorbikes and scooters to students from Zakat-eligible families. A sub-committee has been tasked with finalizing the program’s details and funding.
Despite these announcements, serious operational issues persist. Local Zakat committees remain unformed across Punjab, while subsistence allowances and scholarships have been pending for over 13 months. Additionally, aid for blind individuals and leprosy patients has been suspended.
In a troubling development, the lack of Zakat funding in government hospitals has forced a halt to free treatments, surgeries, and dialysis services, reportedly resulting in the deaths of several low-income patients.
In response to the crisis, the council approved immediate provincial-level Zakat distributions for education and healthcare, with increased allocations under the Ta’leef-e-Qulub programme.
It was also decided that subsistence allowances will be distributed through local committees ahead of Eid al-Azha, while employment terms for department staff have been referred to a sub-committee for further review.
Chairman Rana Manawar Hussain emphasized that future Zakat disbursements will be made through JazzCash and Jazz Wallet, aiming to ensure merit-based, transparent distributions.
