LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 9th Nov, 2024) The first meeting of the steering committee, formed under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for the ‘Dhee Rani’ program was held on Saturday.
The meeting was chaired by Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Mal Sohail Shaukat Butt, via Zoom link.
Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Zeeshan Malik, attended the meeting as a special participant. Secretary of Social Welfare Javed Mehmood Akhtar and Social Welfare Director General Sikandar Zeeshan were also present. Commissioners from various divisions joined the meeting through zoom.
The Social Welfare DG provided a detailed briefing on the ‘Dhee Rani’ program to the members and updated Provincial Minister Sohail Shaukat Butt and Special Assistant Zeeshan Malik on the progress of the programme.
It was stated in the meeting that the programme was open to underprivileged, orphaned, and physically disabled women, whose parents are also disabled and who are between the ages of 18 and 40. Additionally, the web portal for the ‘Dhee Rani’ project has been developed and is now operational, allowing applicants to submit their applications online.
Sohail Shaukat announced that in the first phase of the programme, collective weddings for 1,500 deserving couples will be arranged across all districts of the province. He also mentioned that the deadline for submitting applications had been extended from November 5 to November 15.
He emphasised that this initiative by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was a significant step towards creating a true welfare Islamic state. He added that each couple will be given a monetary gift of Rs 100,000 during the collective weddings. Furthermore, the purchase of gifts will be conducted through the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to ensure transparency in the project.
He also mentioned that due to the current smog situation, the collective weddings will be organised considering the prevailing conditions. There will be 50 weddings at divisional headquarters and 25 weddings at the district level.
Applicants can submit their applications online through the portal at [cmp.punjab.gov.pk](http://cmp.punjab.gov.pk) or at the respective district’s Social Welfare Deputy Director’s office. For further information and guidance, the helpline number 1312 is available for assistance.
