PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Monday launched two flagship welfare initiatives Roshan Mustaqbil Card and Sahara Card aimed at supporting orphans and widows.

A statement issued here said that the initiatives were launched at a ceremony held at the Chief Minister`s House with Mr Gandapur as the chief guest.

The event was also attended by minister for social welfare Syed Qasim AliShah, members of the provincial assembly, government officials, and other dignitaries.

Mr Gandapur distributed Roshan Mustaqbil Cards among orphaned children and Sahara Cards among widows.

Roshan Mustaqbil Card programme will provide a monthly stipend of Rs5,000 to orphaned children aged five to 16. In its initial phase, 9,000 children will benefit from the scheme.

Similarly, the Sahara Card initiative will provide Rs5,000 per month to widowed women aged 45 and above, initially covering 15,000 beneficiaries.

These payments will be disbursed regularly by the 5th of each month.

The first disbursement will begin this month, with recipients receiving Rs10,000 to cover both May and June due to the upcoming Eidul Azha.

Selection of the beneficiaries for both programmes has been conductedthrough a transparent and merit-based process. The scope of the initiatives is set to expand in the future, with additional registrations scheduled to begin in July this year.

Addressing the gathering, the chief minister reaffirmed his government`s commitment to the welfare vision of the party`s founding leader Imran Khan, stating that merit, justice, and equality were the hallmarks of a true Islamic welfare state.

He commended the department of social welfare for successfully launching these programmes, emphasising that supporting vulnerable segments of society was a core responsibility of any state.

He added that data collection efforts were underway to identify more disadvantaged individuals across the province.

`This is just the beginning,` heremarked, `and the scope of these support programmes will continue to grow.

The chief minister also announced that electric wheelchairs were being provided to persons with disabilities and differently-abled students.

`Moreover, the Sehat Card programme has been expanded to cover costly medical procedures such as implants and transplants. Bone marrow, kidney, and liver transplants are now available free of charge in the province. In a significant policy move, the dowry fund has been increased from Rs20,000 to Rs200,000, facilitating marriages for 4,000 deserving girls this year. We are committed to spending public funds on the public,` he said, asserting that his government had generated billions in additional revenue without imposing new taxes by plugging systemic leakages.