Punjab Zakat department launches initiative to release indebted prisoners

The Punjab Zakat Department has introduced a new initiative to free prisoners who have completed their sentences but remain behind bars due to unpaid fines.

A Rs50 million pilot project has been launched to secure the release of thousands of inmates who have served 5 to 10 years but cannot afford to pay their fines.

The department has written to the Inspector General of Prisons requesting a list of eligible prisoners, with plans to release them a week before Eidul Fitr.

Additionally, the monthly Zakat allowance for families living below the poverty line has been raised from Rs1,500 to Rs2,000, while the marriage grant has been increased from Rs25,000 to Rs100,000.

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After a 13-month suspension, financial aid for over 300,000 Zakat beneficiary families across Punjab will also be resumed before Eidul Fitr.

The department has sought the release of Zakat deductions collected from banks during Ramadan to facilitate these payments.