100pc raise in marriage and subsistence grant

LAHORE: The Provincial Zakat Council has decided a 100pc increase in the marriage grant and subsistence allowance for deserving people and also extended the tenures of Zakat committees of all districts up to Nov 30 where new committees have not been constituted yet. This was decided at a meeting presided over by retired Justice Akhtar Hasan, the council chairman, here on Wednesday. Zakat and Ushr Secretary Habibur Rehman Gilani, Zakat Administrator Muhammad Yousaf Butt, representatives of social welfare, finance and local government departments, Maulana Raghib Husain Naeemi and other members attended the meeting. According to a handout, the meeting was told the marriage grant of Rs10,000 had been fixed 10 years ago and needed an immediate increase according to the present circumstances. The council approved increasing the amount to Rs20,000. Gilani briefed the chairman and members of the council that the Rs500 per month subsistence allowance was being given for 14 years and there was a proposal to increase it due to inflation, which council members unanimously approved. The meeting decided that after declaring a person deserving, he/she would be given subsistence allowance and Eid grant for at least a year and in case of death or removal of the person’s name from the list for some reason, prior approval of the council sub-committee would be necessary. The handout further stated the meeting also gave approval to the distribution of Zakat fund through telecommunication companies and also launching it as a pilot project in three districts, including Lahore, Sheikhupura and Hafizabad. It was decided that data of deserving persons for subsistence allowance would be verified from Nadra. It was also decided to check the data compiled for Benazir Income Support Programme and all Zakat committees directed to provide complete particulars of deserving persons so genuine people were selected and the system made transparent. Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2014