The Rawalpindi district authorities have released a grant of Rs60.5 million, putting an end to the grueling delays face by benefisheries across the district.
The grant includes subsistence allowance for 10,000 deserving Zakat recipients, aid for widows, financial assistance for leprosy patients, grants for the wedding of 114 women from families living below the poverty line and for financial assistance of visually impaired indivisuals.
Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, the administrator of the District Zakat Committee, recently released the grant. This comes after the deserving recipients of Zakat had remained deprived of financial assistance for the past six months.
For the first time this year, they were also deprived of 'Eid gifts' during Eidul Fitr and the month of Ramazan, which dampened the Eid spirits of these poor families, widows and orphans. Eid is an occasion meant to inspire joy. However, many deserving families and other families living below the poverty line spent the festival of Eid begging to make ends meet.
The recent grant has allocated Rs9,000 for the financial assistance of each family deserving of Zakat, Rs25,000 dowry fund for marriages of women belonging to such families and Rs12,000 for families of visually impaired persons.
The Deputy Commissioner has also issued instructions for the immediate transfer of all financial assistance funds to the eligible beneficiaries' mobile accounts. This move has brought relief to and sparked a wave of happiness among many beneficiaries.
The Punjab Zakat Council had approved the funds last week. The Deputy Commissioner has also immediately called for the implementation report of the District Zakat Committee once the distribution of funds is complete.
Zakat Council sources said that this financial assistance has been sent to all the beneficiaries in their mobile easy paisa accounts. “We have also paid the expenses for the transfer of funds separately. The implementation report has also been called for immediately,” they said.
They also pointed out that the beneficiaries will receive their full due amount. If any money-transfer salesperson deducts money or asks for extra money from the beneficiaries, then a complaint must be made to the department immediately. The council will take immediate action will be taken against such salesperson.
The Zakat council spokesperson revealed that they have the complete computerised data of all eligible individuals. The computerised data of each category has been organized separately.
Additionally, Zakat funds for free treatment at government hospitals is also set to be transferred to hospitals next month. This will enable the resumption of free treatment, dialysis and operations that have remained halted in government hospitals for the past nine months.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2024.
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