The cheques of Rs 63.279 million have been distributed among the management of govt hospitals and Vocational Training Institutions (VTI) of Faisalabad division out of Zakat fund.
A ceremony was held at Circuit House in which Minister for Zakat and Ushr Punjab Nadeem Kamran Malik was the chief guest on the occasion, while MNA Chaudhry Nisar Ahmad Jat, MPAs Haji Alyas Ansari, Rai Usman Kharal, President Youth Wing PML Wing Punjab Ghulam Hussain Shahid, President Labour Wing Syed Mushtaq Shah, Chairman District Zakat Committee Nazir Hussain Bajwa and officers of Zakat department were also present on the occasion.
The Minister distributed the cheques worth of Rs 53.60 million among the 14 vocational institutes of Faisalabad division for providing fees and stipends of the deserving students being imparted with vocational training in different trades for making them self-reliant in employment, whereas cheques of Rs 9.67 million have been given to the administration of different hospitals in the Faisalabad division including allied and DHQ Hospitals and Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology for providing the medical treatment to the needy patients.
The Minister while addressing the ceremony told media that Punjab govt was providing Rs 902.4 million out of Zakat fund to the 166 vocational training institutions of Punjab and Zakat funds of Rs 250 million are being provided to the 39 big hospitals of Punjab annually.
He said a new scheme had also been initiated for the welfare of the blind persons under direction of CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Rs 120 million had been earmarked for that purpose. He said Zakat funds of Rs 90 million had been allocated for marriage grant, while Rs 200 million had been fixed for the educational scholarships and Rs 670 million were being provided annually for the help of needy people as "Gazar Allowance".
The Minister advised the hospitals and VTI management to utilise Zakat funds transparently as they were custodian of those amounts so that the Zakat funds could be delivered to the actually deserving people. He directed the Zakat department officers to ensure the fair process of local Zakat committee formation and honest and good reputed persons should be brought forward for the fair distribution of Zakat among the real deserving people.