Maryam Nawaz Ration Card: How Punjab Workers Get Rs 3,000 a Month
The Maryam Nawaz Ration Card pays Rs 3,000 a month to PESSI registered workers in Punjab. See who qualifies, how to register, where to shop and the helpline.
The Maryam Nawaz Ration Card pays Rs 3,000 a month to workers registered with Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI). There is no open online form. You get it by being registered with PESSI through your employer. For help, call PESSI on 0800-73774 or the ration card line 1105.
PESSI's own page says the scheme gives monthly help to 1.25 million "secured workers", meaning workers on its register. A separate Punjab government page describes a wider scheme for low-income families. The two do not match, and we set out both below.
We read PESSI's ration card page, its news releases on the card and the Punjab government's ration card and helplines pages on 28 September 2026. We did not hold a card or use one at a shop.
What the Maryam Nawaz Ration Card gives Punjab workers
PESSI says each secured worker gets Rs 3,000 a month through the card, as a ration subsidy. The money goes onto a card linked to the worker's own account, and is spent on groceries at shops signed up to the scheme. It is not a free bag of ration handed out at an office.
That is Rs 36,000 over a year for one worker. PESSI's commissioner said in May 2026 that bank accounts had been opened for more than 1.2 million workers and Rs 25 billion had been transferred to them. The card PESSI shows on its website carries a Mastercard logo.
| Detail | What PESSI says |
|---|---|
| Monthly amount | Rs 3,000 per worker |
| Who gets it | Secured workers registered with PESSI |
| Target | 1.25 million workers |
| Where it is spent | 28,000 designated shops across Punjab |
| Paid so far | Rs 25 billion to over 1.2 million workers' accounts, as of May 2026 |
| Helplines | 0800-73774 (PESSI) and 1105 (ration card) |
Who is eligible for the Punjab ration card
By PESSI's account, you are eligible if you are a secured worker, meaning your employer has registered you with PESSI. A Punjab government page gives different rules for low-income families. Your PESSI registration is the thing to check first.
Two official pages describe the card differently, and we cannot tell you which one the system follows for a given person:
- PESSI's page: monthly help for 1.25 million secured workers. Its banner says registration, verification and help run through PESSI offices.
- The Punjab government's page: help for 1.25 million low-income households. It lists a PMT poverty score under 35, monthly income under Rs 50,000, no government job, no BISP payment, and registration in the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER). It also mentions people registered with social security or worker welfare.
Our reading: every PESSI release we found about the card talks only about registered workers, their data and their biometric checks. If you are not a registered worker, the card is very unlikely to reach you through PESSI. Punjab's other programmes, such as the Rahmat Card, are separate schemes with their own rules.
How to register with PESSI to get the ration card
You cannot apply for the ration card on its own. First your employer must register you with PESSI and pay your contribution. Once you are on the register, PESSI links your record to the card. Domestic workers are the exception, and can register with their own form.
- Ask your employer or HR office whether the business is registered with PESSI, and whether you are on its list.
- If you are not, ask the employer to register you. The PESSI social security card is the proof that you are covered.
- Domestic workers such as cooks, drivers and cleaners in a private home can fill PESSI's domestic worker form, with the employer's CNIC, and take it to a PESSI office.
- Keep your CNIC valid, because PESSI verifies card holders by biometrics.
- Call 1105 or 0800-73774, or visit your PESSI directorate, to ask when your card will be issued.
PESSI told its offices in 2026 to update ration card data as new workers are registered, and to deal with workers' card complaints quickly. So a newly registered worker is added over time, not on the same day.
Being registered also gives you other PESSI benefits for workers, such as free treatment and sickness pay, so it is worth pressing your employer even apart from the card.
How to use the ration card at shops
You spend the Rs 3,000 on groceries at shops signed up to the scheme. PESSI says workers buy their ration through 28,000 designated shops across Punjab. The Punjab government page names utility stores and registered karyana shops, and lists flour, rice, sugar and ghee.
Ask the shopkeeper before you shop whether they accept the Maryam Nawaz Ration Card. Keep your card safe and never give its PIN to anyone, including a shopkeeper or a caller who says they are from PESSI.
Prices still matter. The subsidy buys less when flour goes up, so it helps to know the current flour price in Punjab before you shop.
Check your ration card status and complaints
PESSI does not publish an online status check or an SMS code for the ration card. To check your status or complain, call the ration card helpline 1105, PESSI's helpline 0800-73774, or visit your nearest PESSI directorate with your CNIC.
Many websites offer a "ration card check by CNIC" and tell you to send your CNIC to a short code. PESSI does not list any of them for this card. Do not type your CNIC into a site that is not a government domain ending in .gov.pk.
PESSI's head office is at 3-A, Gulberg-V, Jail Road, Lahore, on 042-99263107. The Punjab government's helplines page lists 1105 as "PESSI, Maryam Nawaz Ration Card", marked active.
Common questions
How much is the Maryam Nawaz Ration Card?
Rs 3,000 a month per registered worker, according to PESSI. That is Rs 36,000 a year.
Can I apply for the Punjab ration card online?
No open online form is published by PESSI. You get the card by being registered with PESSI through your employer, or on the domestic worker form.
What is the ration card helpline number?
The ration card helpline is 1105. PESSI's general toll-free helpline is 0800-73774.
Can a BISP beneficiary get the ration card?
The Punjab government page says a BISP family is not eligible. PESSI's page does not mention BISP, so ask on 1105 if this applies to you.
Where can I spend the ration card?
At shops signed up to the scheme. PESSI says there are 28,000 across Punjab, and the Punjab government page names utility stores and registered karyana shops.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 28 September 2026. We read PESSI's Maryam Nawaz Ration Card page, its ration card banner, and its news releases on card distribution, the May 2026 Rawalpindi review, and the 25 September 2026 Lahore review of biometric verification. We read the Punjab government's ration card page, its April 2026 welfare update, which says over 1.4 million people receive monthly help under the card, and its helplines page. The two official descriptions of eligibility differ, and we have shown both. PESSI's release on the 28,000 shops carries no date. We found no official online status check or SMS code for this card.
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.
