Punjab Dhee Rani Programme: Rs 200,000 Salami for Brides, Who Qualifies and How to Register
Punjab Dhee Rani Programme gives poor brides aged 18 to 40 Rs 200,000 salami and a Rs 121,000 gift. Eligibility, cmp.punjab.gov.pk steps and current status.
The Punjab Dhee Rani Programme holds free mass weddings for poor brides and gives each bride Rs 200,000 as salami and Rs 121,000 as a gift, both on a Bank of Punjab ATM card. You register at cmp.punjab.gov.pk or call 1312. On 28 September 2026 the portal showed registration as closed.
The programme is run by the Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department, Punjab. Its official advertisement says 3,000 brides were married under it in 2024-25, and 5,000 more weddings are being held in 2025-26.
We read the portal's home page, its 26 answers under FAQ, its process chart and the department's advertisement on 28 September 2026. We did not register, because we have no bride to register. So the details of the later screens come from the department's own descriptions.
What a Dhee Rani bride gets
Each bride gets a Rs 200,000 salami (the cash gift given at a wedding) and a Rs 121,000 gift, both loaded on a Bank of Punjab ATM card. The government also arranges the venue and the ceremony. Brides married before 19 April 2025 got household goods worth Rs 206,000 instead of the Rs 121,000.
| Item | What the portal says |
|---|---|
| Salami from the Chief Minister | Rs 200,000 on an ATM card |
| Wedding gift, from 19 April 2025 | Rs 121,000 on an ATM card |
| Wedding gift, before 19 April 2025 | Household goods worth Rs 206,000 |
| Venue and ceremony | Arranged by the government, at district or tehsil level |
| Guests allowed | 20 people in total, from both families |
One warning here. The portal's own FAQ is older than its home page. FAQ answer 23 still says the ATM card holds Rs 100,000 and allows Rs 50,000 a day. The home page and the newspaper advertisement both say Rs 200,000 salami. We go with the newer figure, but ask at the ceremony if your card shows a different balance.
The card and gifts are handed over at the wedding itself, not before, according to the FAQ.
Who can apply for the Dhee Rani Programme
The bride must be an orphan, destitute, a person with a disability or the daughter of a person with a disability, aged 18 to 40, with a confirmed match. She must be domiciled in Punjab and unmarried. Brides of every religion can apply.
- The bride is destitute, an orphan, disabled, or the daughter of a disabled parent.
- She is between 18 and 40 years old.
- Her rishta (match) is already confirmed, and the groom's details are filled in the form.
- She is domiciled in Punjab.
- She signs an affidavit that she is unmarried and willing to join the collective wedding.
The applicant can be the bride herself, or her father, mother or guardian. Only the bride's side registers. The FAQ says a groom cannot register, and each daughter in a family applies on her own CNIC.
The 18-year lower limit matches Punjab's marriage age of 18. If the bride has a disability, a disability certificate and special CNIC is the clearest proof you can attach.
The rules on an existing Nikah are unclear. The eligibility list says the Nikah should not be older than three months. The FAQ says that if the Nikah is already done, you should not apply. Call 1312 before you register if your Nikah has already taken place.
If more people apply than there are places, the department picks brides by electronic balloting, a computer draw.
How to register at cmp.punjab.gov.pk
Register online at cmp.punjab.gov.pk with the bride's CNIC and a mobile number, fill in both the bride's and groom's details, and upload documents as JPG or PNG files. If the site fails you, the Deputy Director Social Welfare office in your district will register you at its help desk.
- Open cmp.punjab.gov.pk and press Register.
- Enter the bride's CNIC and a mobile number, and confirm it with the OTP.
- Fill in the bride's details and the groom's details. The groom's details are compulsory.
- Upload documents in PNG, JPG or JPEG format.
- Submit. You get an SMS that your application has been received.
The OTP is the most common problem. The FAQ says a number moved from one network to another may not receive it. Try the robo-call option first. If that fails too, go to the Deputy Director office, which the portal lists by district under "Locations of DD Offices".
You can change your application, but only until it is marked for verification. No stamp paper is needed, according to FAQ answer 17. Nobody should charge you for any of this.
What happens after you apply
A Tehsil Verification Committee visits both the bride's and the groom's homes. A Programme Steering Committee then approves the final list, and selected brides get an SMS. The Bank of Punjab opens an account after NADRA and biometric checks, and a second SMS gives the wedding date, time and venue.
| Stage | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Application | You, online, on 1312, or at the DD office |
| Home visit | Tehsil Verification Committee field officer |
| Approval | Programme Steering Committee |
| Selection SMS | Social Welfare Department |
| Account and ATM card | Bank of Punjab, after NADRA and biometric checks |
| Wedding | District or tehsil venue, date sent by SMS |
You can follow each stage by logging in with the bride's CNIC and password. The dashboard shows a tracking bar, and the portal also has a Tracking page that works with the CNIC. The FAQ's process list ends with "NADRA certification". Keep the Nikahnama safe after the wedding, because the couple will need it for a NADRA marriage certificate and a new CNIC.
Dhee Rani registration dates for the current round
The portal gave no open window on 28 September 2026. Its home page showed "Registration Closed", and the department had not posted new dates. The FAQ says weddings are held on set dates through the year, and each couple is told by SMS well in advance.
Some websites give a fixed last date for 2026. We could not find any date on the department's own portal, so do not plan around it. If you already applied, check the tracking page. If you have not, keep the bride's CNIC, the groom's CNIC and the documents ready, and check cmp.punjab.gov.pk or call 1312.
A family planning a small wedding outside the scheme should also know the one-dish and 10pm rule for Punjab weddings. It applies to every wedding hall function.
Common questions
How much money does a Dhee Rani bride get?
The portal's home page says Rs 200,000 salami plus a Rs 121,000 gift, both on a Bank of Punjab ATM card. The older FAQ page still says Rs 100,000, so the two pages do not match.
Is Dhee Rani registration open now?
No. On 28 September 2026 cmp.punjab.gov.pk showed "Registration Closed". Call 1312 or watch the portal for the next round.
What is the age limit for the Dhee Rani Programme?
The bride must be between 18 and 40 years old.
Can a Christian or Hindu bride apply?
Yes. The FAQ says people of all religions can apply.
How many guests can come to a Dhee Rani wedding?
20 people in total, counting both the bride's and the groom's side.
What is the Dhee Rani helpline number?
1312. You can also visit your district's Deputy Director Social Welfare office, or call the department's Lahore office on 042-99204148 or 042-99204149.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 28 September 2026. The eligibility rules, the Rs 200,000 salami, the Rs 121,000 ATM gift from 19 April 2025, the Rs 206,000 goods before that date, the 5,000 weddings, balloting and the "Registration Closed" status are read on the home page of cmp.punjab.gov.pk. The registration channels, the verification and SMS stages, the 20-guest limit, the all-religions answer, the OTP fixes, the JPG and PNG uploads, the no-stamp-paper answer and the older Rs 100,000 figure are read in the portal's FAQ. The process chart is the portal's own image. The 3,000 weddings in 2024-25, the 5,000 in 2025-26, the Rs 2 lakh salami, the 1312 helpline and the Lahore office numbers are read in the Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department advertisement hosted on the portal. We did not register, and the department has not published dates for the next round.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
