ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has decided to launch a “Minority Card” for minorities living in the province, modeled on the lines of Himat Card and Kisan Card, with the initiative aiming to provide socio-economic security to minorities.
According to officials of the Human Rights Department of Punjab, before launching the “Minority Card,” the opinion of all concerned departments will be sought so that every aspect of the project can be carefully reviewed.
Human Rights Secretary Rai Ali Bahadur said that this program is planned to be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, data from the top 10 districts of the province will be collected.
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In this regard, a consultative meeting was also held in Lahore, in which Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Sardar Ramesh Singh, along with officials from the Punjab Information Technology Board, Benazir Income Support Program, NADRA Punjab Director General, Senior Chief of the Planning and Development Department, Chief Executive Officer of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Program, and other concerned officers, attended.
In the meeting, a detailed discussion was held to improve the social and economic conditions of minorities, and various suggestions were made for the successful implementation of the project.
The participants stressed ensuring the inclusion of widows, the poor, disabled, and unemployed persons in the program and suggested that the PMT score be fixed at 40 so that the maximum number of people can benefit from it.
The provincial minister expressed hope that this program would prove to be an important step in improving economic opportunities for minorities and ensuring their welfare.
He requested all stakeholders to submit their suggestions to the Human Rights Secretary so they could be organized into a comprehensive draft.
