CM Punjab Minority Card: Rs 10,500 a Quarter, Who Qualifies and How to Apply

The CM Punjab Minority Card pays Rs 10,500 every three months to low-income Christian, Hindu, Sikh and other non-Muslim families in Punjab. You apply at mcard.punjab.gov.pk, but only with a PMT poverty score of 45 or below. The last registration window ran from 15 May to 5 June 2026.

The card is run by the Punjab Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department. Its official advertisement says the number of cards has gone up from 75,000 to 100,000 families. Families already selected in the first two phases, the original 75,000, do not need to apply again.

We read the department's scheme page, its registration notice and its advertisement on 28 September 2026. We also opened the card portal. It loads, and its login page still shows a sign-up link. We did not register, because we are not an eligible family, so we cannot tell you what happens after the first screen.

What the CM Punjab Minority Card gives you

Each selected family gets Rs 10,500 a quarter, which works out to Rs 42,000 a year if all four payments arrive. The money goes onto a card from the Bank of Punjab. You collect it after biometric checks through NADRA, so no one else can draw it for you.

"Quarterly" means once every three months. The department calls this "quarterly financial assistance directly to beneficiaries" on its scheme page. It does not publish fixed payment dates, so do not trust anyone who gives you an exact day.

Rs 10,500 will not run a household. But for a family living on daily wages, a steady payment every three months helps with school fees, rent or a gas bill. Treat it as a top-up, not an income.

Who can get the Punjab Minority Card

You qualify if you are from a non-Muslim community, live in Punjab, are the head of your family, hold a valid CNIC and mobile number, and have a PMT score of 45 or less. You must not already get cash help from BISP or the Punjab Social Protection Authority.

These are the conditions printed in the department's advertisement, in its own order:

1. You are a Christian, Hindu, Sikh or member of another minority religion living in Punjab.
2. You have a valid computerised CNIC and a mobile number.
3. You are the head of the family and a resident of Punjab.
4. Your PMT score is 45 or lower.
5. You do not get financial help from another scheme such as PSPA or BISP.

The last rule catches many families. If someone in your household already gets the BISP quarterly payment, the advertisement says you are not eligible. The scheme page softens this a little with the words "subject to policy", but we would not apply on that hope.

The PMT score comes first, and you get it from a BISP centre

PMT means Proxy Means Test. It is a poverty score from 0 to 100 that the government's NSER survey gives each household. A lower score means a poorer family. The Minority Card needs 45 or below, and you get or update the score at an NSER or BISP centre.

The advertisement is blunt about this. Getting a PMT score is compulsory, but it tells people to fill the online form straight away anyway. The mcard portal links to a list of BISP and NSER centres on its login page, so you can find the nearest one.

If your family was surveyed years ago, your score may be old. Take the whole household's CNICs and B-Forms to the centre. A child without a NADRA B-Form may not count in the survey, which can push your score the wrong way.

You can check whether you are already in the NSER through the 8171 BISP check. That tells you if you are registered, though it will not always show your exact score.

How to apply on mcard.punjab.gov.pk

Go to mcard.punjab.gov.pk, press Sign up, and create an account with your CNIC as the username. Fill the form with correct details. The department checks your data against NADRA and other records, reviews it, and then issues cards to approved families.

1. Open mcard.punjab.gov.pk on a phone or computer.
2. Press "Sign up" and enter your CNIC in the format 12345-1234567-1 and your mobile as 03XX-XXXXXXX.
3. Set a password and log in with your CNIC and that password.
4. Fill in your family's details exactly as they appear on NADRA's record.
5. Submit, then wait. NADRA and the department verify you, and approved families get a card.

The portal's form checks that a CNIC has the right shape and rejects a mobile number that does not start with 03. If you forget your password, the login page has a "Forget Password" link. For help with registration, the advertisement gives helpline 1040, during office hours, which the department lists as 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Registration dates for the Minority Card

The 2026 registration window opened on 15 May 2026 and closed on 5 June 2026, according to the department's own notice. We found no new window on the department's website on 28 September 2026. The portal still loads, but a new round has not been announced.

So what should you do now? Get your PMT score sorted at a BISP centre. If a new window opens, the families who already have a fresh score will be ready on day one. Watch the News and Events section of hrma.punjab.gov.pk for the next notice.

If you registered between May and June 2026 and heard nothing, call 1040 and give your CNIC. Keep a note of the date and the name of the person you spoke to.

Warning signs of a fake Minority Card offer

The real scheme never asks for a fee, never pays through a private agent, and only uses mcard.punjab.gov.pk and helpline 1040. Anyone who charges money to "register" you or promises a card without a PMT check is not from the department.

Fake government scheme links spread fast on WhatsApp, as the fake CM Punjab laptop scheme showed. Check that the address ends in punjab.gov.pk before you type your CNIC anywhere.

At the cash stage, the rules are the same as for BISP. Nobody should keep a cut of your money, and nobody should hold your card or PIN. If that happens, report it on 1040.

Common questions

How much does the CM Punjab Minority Card pay?

Rs 10,500 every three months, according to the Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department's advertisement. That is Rs 42,000 a year if all four payments are made.

What PMT score do I need for the Minority Card?

45 or lower. You get or update your PMT score at your nearest NSER or BISP centre.

Can I apply for the Minority Card now?

The last window ran from 15 May to 5 June 2026. On 28 September 2026 we found no new registration notice, so watch hrma.punjab.gov.pk for the next round.

I already have a Minority Card. Do I need to apply again?

No. The advertisement says the 75,000 families selected in the first and second phases do not need to reapply.

Can a BISP family also get the Minority Card?

The advertisement says no. Applicants must not be getting financial help from programmes such as PSPA or BISP.

What is the Minority Card helpline number?

1040. The department asks people to call it during office hours, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 28 September 2026. The Rs 10,500 quarterly amount, the rise from 75,000 to 100,000 families, the eligibility list (minority faith, Punjab resident, head of family, CNIC and mobile, PMT 45 or lower, no PSPA or BISP aid), the NSER or BISP centre route for the PMT score, the 1040 helpline, the 15 May to 5 June 2026 registration window and the rule that the first 75,000 families need not reapply are read in the department's advertisement, linked from its registration notice on hrma.punjab.gov.pk. Quarterly payments, Bank of Punjab payment, NADRA biometric verification and the application steps are read on the department's CM Minority Card scheme page. The CNIC login, sign-up link, CNIC and mobile formats and the BISP and NSER centre list are read on mcard.punjab.gov.pk. We did not register, so we have not seen the later stages of the form, and the department publishes no fixed payment dates.