CM Punjab Rashan Card: who qualifies, how much it pays and how to register

The CM Punjab Rashan Card (also called the Maryam Nawaz Rashan Card) gives Rs 3,000 of essential groceries a month, bought at more than 62,000 registered shops across Punjab. As of July 2026, 1,244,130 workers registered with Punjab Social Security had the card, and the province approved Rs 43.2 billion more for 2026-27. Mine workers and Suthra Punjab workers are covered too. The Ramazan Nigehban card is a separate, one-off scheme.

Is it open? Yes, as an ongoing monthly subsidy. As of 18 October 2026 the government was expanding it, and we found no closing date.

How much does the Rashan Card give?

The card carries Rs 3,000 a month for essential food items. You spend it at registered shops; the Punjab Portal page (archived October 2025) says it works at utility stores and registered karyana shops for flour, rice, sugar, ghee and other kitchen basics.

At Rs 3,000 a month, that’s Rs 36,000 over a year. In Ramazan 2026, card holders got Rs 10,000 instead of the usual Rs 3,000, under the Ramazan Nigehban package.

Some reports of the April 2025 launch said Rs 30,000 a month. Every later report, and the Punjab Portal, says Rs 3,000, so we follow them.

Who can get the CM Punjab Rashan Card?

The government’s own page and the news describe the target group differently:

In practice, the cards have gone to workers registered with PESSI, which opened bank accounts for over 1.2 million of them, APP reported in April 2026. The Mines and Minerals Department launched the card for 40,000 mine workers in July 2025, and over 100,000 Suthra Punjab workers benefit, The Nation reported in July 2026.

The portal’s list says one person per family, with a valid CNIC and a mobile number registered on the same CNIC, and only permanent residents of Punjab.

How do I register for the Rashan Card?

The Punjab Portal lists three routes: register on the PSER (Punjab Socio-Economic Registry) portal, or go to your union council office or the nearest e-Khidmat Markaz.

For workers, the card comes through Social Security registration. When the Chief Minister approved the expansion in July 2026, she told officials to increase the number of registered workers so more people get the card. Registered workers reached a record 1,403,063 by then.

The Bank of Punjab prints and delivers the cards, and a Ration Card Cell at the Punjab Social Security head office in Lahore handles issue, distribution and monitoring, APP reported in November 2025.

We couldn’t open the Punjab government portal, PSER or PESSI’s website on 18 October 2026, so we couldn’t confirm a Rashan Card helpline, a shop list or an online status check. The numbers on unofficial sites didn’t match any official source we could read.

What is the Nigehban card?

The Ramazan Nigehban card was a one-off Ramazan payment, not a monthly ration. The Chief Minister approved the Rs 47 billion package on 26 Jan 2026:

• 4.2 million families got Rs 10,000 each during Ramazan.
• Over 2 million of them got a Nigehban card for cash withdrawal and essential goods.
• Rashan Card holders got Rs 10,000 that month instead of Rs 3,000.
• Social Security-registered workers without a Rashan Card also got Rs 10,000, collected with a six-digit PIN, their CNIC and a fingerprint at HBL Konnect, UBL Omni or Alfa Pay agents, APP reported on 3 Mar 2026.

Card delivery started on 14 Feb 2026. Cards were activated at 136 activation centres and branchless banking agents, and cash came from agents and ATMs. The dedicated helpline was 08000-2345, Daily Times reported.

How do I avoid Rashan Card scams?

We found no official fraud warning specific to the Rashan or Nigehban card. The routes the government lists are its own: the PSER portal, union council offices, e-Khidmat Markaz and Social Security. Payment checks for the Nigehban card were done by calling holders to confirm receipt, Radio Pakistan reported. If a message from an unknown number promises a card in exchange for a fee, it isn’t one of those routes.

For federal support, BISP’s Benazir Kafaalat and Taleemi Wazaif programmes send messages only from 8171. Punjab’s Himmat Card is for persons with disabilities.

More guides: BISP 8171 · Benazir Taleemi Wazaif · Himmat Card · Kissan Card · EOBI pension