LAHORE: The Provincial Zakat Council (PZC) has approved releasing Rs2.775 billion in installments to district Zakat committees for the distribution of Zakat among deserving people across the province during the fiscal year 2014-15.

This was decided at a meeting presided over by PZC chairman retired Justice Akhtar Hassan here on Monday.

According to officials, the Rs2.775 billion include Rs689.321m for subsistence allowance, Rs103.398m for educational scholarships (general), Rs91.909m for seminaries’ students, Rs68.933m for the treatment of patients at tehsil and district headquarters’ hospitals, Rs92m for marriage grant (Rs20,000 per person) for poor and deserving girls, Rs103.398m for assistance and rehabilitation of deserving persons, Rs1052.218m for educational scholarships (technical) for deserving male and female students getting training in vocational training institutes, Rs120m for subsistence allowance for deserving blind persons, Rs1.2m for monthly subsistence allowance for deserving leprosy patients and Rs248.800m for the treatment of deserving patients through health welfare committees set up in hospitals and medical institutions at the provincial level.

The council also directed to immediately release first installment of the total amount to the DZC within a couple of days.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2014