The Ba-Himmat Buzurg program is Punjab’s social pension for poor elderly people. This guide explains who qualifies, how much it pays, why priority goes to elderly women, and what to do if your CNIC details are holding you back.

It is run by the Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA), and the social protection helpline is 1221.

Why the Ba-Himmat Buzurg program exists

Pakistan has pensions for people who worked in the formal sector. Government employees retire with something.

Everyone else — the labourer, the farm worker, the domestic worker, the woman who raised a family and never held a salaried job — reaches old age with nothing. Beyond formal-sector employees, there was little public financial support for elderly people in Punjab.

Ba-Himmat Buzurg was created to close that gap. PSPA describes the aim as protecting older persons from livelihood risks and enabling them to live a dignified life, reducing their dependence on relatives and neighbours.

That framing matters. It is designed as a pension, not charity.

Who is eligible

Based on program information published so far, eligibility centres on:

  • Age 65 and above
  • Living in poverty, with little or no source of income
  • A valid CNIC
  • A household poverty score low enough to qualify, verified against survey records
  • Households not covered by the federal BISP

Generally only one person per household is enrolled.

Criteria are set by PSPA and can change. Confirm the current rules on 1221 before relying on them.

Ba-Himmat Buzurg is designed as a dignified social pension for elderly people outside formal pension systems.

Priority goes to elderly women

This is a deliberate design choice, and it is worth understanding rather than being surprised by it.

Where more than one person in a household qualifies, the scheme prefers an elderly woman. An elderly man may be selected where there is no eligible woman.

The reasoning is straightforward. Elderly women in Pakistan are the least likely to have ever held formal employment, the least likely to hold assets in their own name, and therefore the least likely to have any independent income in old age.

How much is paid

The program has been reported to provide Rs 2,000 per month to eligible elderly people in households not covered by BISP.

Payment figures are policy decisions that change over time. Treat this as accurate as of 2026 and confirm the current amount with PSPA.

The CNIC problem that blocks applications

Age is verified against your CNIC record. That creates a specific, common obstacle for exactly the people this program targets.

Many elderly Pakistanis, particularly women in rural areas, have:

  • A CNIC with an estimated or incorrect date of birth, because no birth was ever registered
  • An expired CNIC that was never renewed
  • No CNIC at all

If the date of birth on the card says you are 61 when you are 70, the system sees 61.

Fix the CNIC first. It is the single highest-value thing an elderly applicant can do, and it also unlocks other programs. Our NADRA CNIC guide explains how to apply, renew, or correct a record.

How to apply

There is no simple public web form for this program, which frustrates families expecting one.

Enrolment works through verification against survey and NADRA records, with registration drives and focal persons handling the process locally.

The practical route:

  1. Make sure the elderly person’s CNIC is valid and the date of birth is correct.
  2. Make sure the household is registered and current in the survey system. See our NSER guide and PSER registration guide.
  3. Call the social protection helpline 1221 and ask specifically about Ba-Himmat Buzurg enrolment in your district.
  4. Complete any biometric or life verification you are asked for.

Keeping the pension running

Social pensions worldwide use life verification to prevent payments continuing after a beneficiary has died. Punjab is no different, and beneficiary numbers move with verification cycles.

For families, that means:

  • Complete any verification request promptly
  • Keep the CNIC valid, not expired
  • Keep an active mobile number registered on the beneficiary’s own CNIC
  • Report a change of address

A stopped payment is often a missed verification rather than a removal.

Helping an elderly relative apply

Most applications are completed by a son, daughter, or grandchild rather than by the elderly person alone. If that is you, a few things make the difference:

  • Start with the CNIC. Check it is valid and the date of birth is right before anything else. Everything downstream depends on it.
  • Go with them. Verification steps often need the person present, and a NADRA or bank visit is hard to manage alone at 70.
  • Write down the reference numbers. Elderly applicants are rarely given anything in writing they can keep track of.
  • Do not hand over their OTP, even to help. You can assist without ever passing a code to a third party.
  • Check the mobile number on the record is one they, or you, actually answer.

Watch for fraud targeting the elderly

Elderly applicants are a common fraud target because they are less likely to check a claim.

  • Registration is free. Nobody charges for it.
  • No agent can add a name to the list.
  • Never share an OTP, including with someone claiming to be from PSPA or a bank.
  • Payments come through official channels, never a private individual collecting on someone’s behalf.

If a family member handles the process, they should still never hand over an OTP. Report demands for money through the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.

Contact

Other support for elderly households

To see which Punjab and federal programs your household may qualify for, try our free eligibility checker.

GoPunjab is an independent information website. We are not PSPA, cannot enrol anyone, check a record, or release a payment. We only explain how the official process works.