Punjab Sets Target of 5,000 Mass Weddings Under Dhee Rani Programm

LAHORE | Nazrana Times Ali Imran Chattha 

Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Sohail Shaukat Butt chaired a meeting on Thursday to review arrangements for the Dhee Rani Programme, including the mechanism for holding mass weddings at the divisional level during the current financial year.
Secretary Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Punjab Saira Umar, Director General Social Welfare Punjab Dr Shehenshah Faisal Azim, departmental directors and all divisional directors attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed progress under the Dhee Rani Programme, its future course of action and preparations for the next phase of mass weddings. Officials also discussed measures to ensure that the programme is implemented effectively and transparently across the province.
The meeting was informed that 3,000 deserving girls were married under the programme during the financial year 2024-25, while another 5,000 deserving girls benefited during 2025-26.
For the current financial year, the Punjab government has set a target of arranging mass weddings for 5,000 deserving girls, with the new phase scheduled to begin in October.
Officials further informed the meeting that applications for participation in the programme had been received through the ‘Maryam Ko Batain’ app. The applications will be scrutinised and verified, after which eligible applicants will be included in the programme.
The Dhee Rani Programme was launched following approval by the provincial cabinet to facilitate dignified marriages for girls belonging to deserving and low-income families.
Sohail Shaukat Butt directed the department to ensure transparency, merit and effective monitoring at every stage of the programme. He emphasised that the selection and verification of beneficiaries, along with wedding arrangements, should be further streamlined so that the initiative benefits genuinely deserving families.
The minister also directed relevant officials to accelerate preparations and ensure the timely completion of all stages of the programme.