The Nigehban Ramzan package is the Punjab government’s own Ramzan relief for low-income families. This guide explains how it worked in 2025 and 2026, who was picked, how it differs from the federal 8171 package, and what your family should do before the next Ramzan.

Ramzan 2026 is over, and so is the 2026 package. Ramzan 2027 is expected around February 2027, depending on the moon. In June 2026, Punjab’s finance minister said Rs 37 billion had been proposed for the package in the 2026-27 budget. That is a budget figure, not an announcement: the amount per family, the rules and the timeline for 2027 have not been announced. You may also see it spelt Nigahban or Nighaban. It is the same program.

What the Nigehban Ramzan package is

It is a seasonal relief drive run by the Government of Punjab under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. It is not part of BISP. Its aim is to help poorer families with the extra cost of food in Ramzan, without long queues.

The package draws on the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER), the province’s household survey. That link is the most important thing to understand. In 2025 and 2026, families were picked from PSER, so a family that is not in it is unlikely to be picked. Our guide to what PSER is explains the registry.

How the package has worked each year

The format has changed every year. This is what official releases and credible news reported:

YearWhat families gotHow it reached them
2024A ration bag: 10 kg flour, plus 2 kg each of rice, sugar, ghee and besanDelivered to homes. Families picked from BISP and NADRA data
2025Rs 10,000 cash for about 3 million familiesPay orders sent through Pakistan Post, paid into a bank account or cashed at branchless banking agents
2026Rs 10,000 cash. About 4.2 million families were planned, and about 3.4 million were paidA Nigehban card delivered to homes. Cash from Bank of Punjab agents and 1-Link ATMs

In 2025, the government said PSER registration was mandatory for the package. Registration for it stayed open until 15 February 2025.

In 2026, the Punjab government approved Rs 47 billion for the package in January. The plan included more than 2 million new Nigehban cards and 136 card activation centres. District administrations delivered the cards to families’ homes, and officials said the card also worked at more than 17,000 linked grocery stores. They aimed to finish delivery by early March. By 6 March 2026, the government said about 3 million families had been paid. In June 2026, Punjab’s finance minister gave the final figure: about 3.4 million families got Rs 10,000 each, at a cost of Rs 39 billion.

In 2025, the government gave 0800-02345 as the helpline for the package. In 2026, the Punjab information minister told families who were missed during surveys, or did not receive the money, to call the Maryam Ko Batain helpline 1000 with their CNIC number.

Some families already on Punjab cards were covered too. For example, ration card holders were reported to get Rs 10,000 in Ramzan 2026 instead of their usual Rs 3,000 a month. See our Punjab ration card guide.

In 2026, district teams delivered Nigehban cards to homes. Cash could be drawn at Bank of Punjab agents and 1-Link ATMs.

Who qualifies

The package is for low-income families in Punjab who are registered in PSER. The government picks families from PSER data. In 2025, that data went through wealth checks before payment details were sent to the Bank of Punjab.

The exact score or income cut-off has not been published, and it can change each year. Our PSER eligibility guide explains how the registry judges need.

What to do before the next Ramzan

In both 2025 and 2026, the package was announced in late January, only weeks before Ramzan. That is too late to start. Do these things now:

  1. Make sure your household is in PSER. As of September 2026, no PSER registration window is open. The official website, pser.punjab.gov.pk, gives information only and has no registration button. If your household was never surveyed, call the PSER helpline 0800-02345 and ask how to be added. Our PSER last date guide tracks the current status.
  2. Check that your record exists. If you registered online before, log in at portal-pser.punjab.gov.pk with your CNIC and password. Our PSER registration check guide shows how.
  3. Keep your details up to date. If an earning member has died, someone has lost work or become disabled, or you have moved house, ask the PSER helpline 0800-02345 how to update your record.
  4. Keep one SIM in your own name. Use a mobile number registered on your own CNIC. Our CNIC SIM check guide shows how to check.
  5. Keep your CNIC valid. Payments and card activation run on your CNIC, so renew it before it expires. See our NADRA CNIC guide.

In 2026 the card came to your door, so a correct home address matters too.

Where 8070 fits

8070 is a Punjab government SMS short code. The last Ramzan relief on 8070 that we could confirm was the 2023 free flour drive, when Punjab named 8070 as the number to ask about eligibility. That same month, the federal government told families to check their flour eligibility by sending their CNIC to BISP’s code, 8171. Only BISP-registered families qualified.

We found no official announcement that 8070 was used for the Nigehban package in 2024, 2025 or 2026. In those years families were picked from government data. The helpline was 0800-02345 in 2025, and in 2026 missed families were told to call 1000. As of September 2026, the Kisan Card is the scheme where Punjab still gives an 8070 format. Our 8070 SMS check guide explains which schemes have used it.

Nigehban Ramzan package vs the federal 8171 Ramzan package

These are two different programs, run by two different governments:

Punjab NigehbanFederal Ramzan relief (8171)
Run byGovernment of PunjabFederal government
CoversPunjab families onlyFamilies across Pakistan
Family listPSERNSER, the BISP survey
How to check in 2026No SMS code confirmed. Cards were delivered to homes, and missed families were told to call 1000pmrrp.nitb.gov.pk, the PAK App or helpline 9999. 8171 is BISP’s code for Kafaalat payments
How paid in 2026Nigehban card, cash at Bank of Punjab agents and 1-Link ATMsDigital wallets and bank accounts
AmountRs 10,000 in 2025 and 2026Rs 5,000 in 2025. In 2026, Rs 13,000 for families outside Kafaalat, and Rs 1,000 more per quarter for Kafaalat families
Helpline0800-02345 in 2025. In 2026, missed families were told to call 1000 (Maryam Ko Batain)9999 for the 2025 and 2026 packages, BISP 0800-26477

Being in one does not put you in the other. For the federal side, read our 8171 Ramzan package guide.

When the aid missed families

In 2026, the Express Tribune reported that the cash did not reach everyone who needed it. Some families said no survey team had visited them. In Rawalpindi Division, home to about 18.5 million people, the paper reported only about 117,000 approvals, and said many applications had been rejected. It also noted that lower-middle-class families who are not in any government database could be left out.

For families left off the main list, the Punjab government also ran the Maryam Ko Batain programme in Ramzan 2026, through helpline 1000, an app and a web portal. By early March it said over 1.1 million people had registered. Applications were checked against PSER data, the Rs 10,000 went to JazzCash wallets, and people already covered by the Nigehban package, the ration card, BISP or the federal Ramzan package were not eligible.

If you were missed:

  • Check that your PSER record exists and is correct
  • Ask for your record to be updated if your situation has changed
  • Call the PSER helpline 0800-02345, or visit an e-Khidmat Markaz
  • During the next Ramzan, use the complaint helpline the government announces that year

Registration is free

  • PSER registration is free
  • Nobody can add your name to the Nigehban list for money
  • Never share an OTP or your card PIN, even with someone who says they are from the government or a bank
  • In 2026, officials said there were no service charges, and cases were registered against people demanding money
  • Ignore “Nigehban registration” links on WhatsApp and private “8070 portal” websites. Most official Punjab pages end in punjab.gov.pk

If someone asks you for money, report it through the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal.

Contact

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 the Government of Punjab, PSPA or the Bank of Punjab. We cannot add your name, check your record, deliver a card or release a payment. We only explain how the official process works.