Free SIMs under BISP to aid digital disbursement of assistance from March 2026 as govt pushes cashless economy
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Photo: File
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed that financial assistance under the Ramazan Package be distributed exclusively through digital wallets, saying the move would help ensure the dignity and self-respect of beneficiaries.
Chairing a review meeting on third-party validation of the federal government’s proposed Ramazan Package, Shehbaz said distributing assistance through digital wallets would also support the transition to a cashless economy. He added that the involvement of the State Bank of Pakistan would facilitate this process.
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Shehbaz said a Social Protection Wallet system was being introduced under the Benazir Income Support Programme, under which SIM cards would be provided to eligible beneficiaries. He added that from March 2026 onward, assistance payments would be distributed digitally through these SIMs.
The prime minister said the federal government had introduced a system to provide essential food items to low-income households at subsidised rates through the Ramazan Package. He said the earlier Utility Stores model had been affected by mismanagement and irregularities, which had prevented some beneficiaries from receiving their entitlements.
He instructed relevant institutions to prepare an improved package for the upcoming Ramazan, saying financial assistance and social protection for low- and lower-middle-income households were government priorities.
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The prime minister directed ministries and agencies to ensure that eligible low-income households were included in the assistance programme to the maximum extent possible. He also called for the creation of a digital dashboard and a monitoring system to oversee implementation.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Poverty Alleviation Minister Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja attended the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by the prime minister’s special assistant Haroon Akhtar, as well as the chairmen of NADRA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and other senior officials.
