On Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the ‘Kisan Card Programme’ in Hafizabad, aimed at providing essential financial aid to small-scale farmers. The program allows farmers to secure loans of up to Rs 150,000 per crop season to buy seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides using their Kisan Cards.
At the launch event, CM Maryam Nawaz announced an increase in the program’s budget, raising the number of Kisan Cards from 500,000 to 750,000. She encouraged potential applicants to register by sending their ID card numbers to 8070 from their registered mobile numbers. Furthermore, she promised free laser levelers to farmers cultivating between 12.5 and 25 acres of land.
For those farming over 25 acres, CM Maryam Nawaz pledged to provide free tractors. She also stated that agricultural equipment would be rented to farmers at no profit. In addition to these immediate benefits, she outlined future plans, including the solarization of 7,000 tubewells and a significant investment of 35–40 billion rupees to establish rental machinery outlets across Punjab’s tehsils.
In a related development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had recently dismissed a petition challenging the inclusion of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s photograph on the Kisan Cards. Justice Shahid Karim ruled against the plea, which argued that public funds should not be used for personal publicity, emphasizing that CM Maryam Nawaz approved the design.
