Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has instructed the formation of a committee to provide free plots to the public.

According to a press release, the Chief Minister chaired a special meeting to review the progress of the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” program. During the meeting, she directed a thorough review of the 3 and 5 marla government housing schemes across the province.

An 8-member committee was formed to finalize the terms of reference (TORs) for offering free plots to the public. It was also informed that efforts are underway to speed up the development of 2,807 plots in 35 government housing schemes across 22 districts of Punjab.

CM Punjab further instructed the acceleration of work on 1,119 plots in 9 government housing schemes in 7 districts. Additionally, officials were tasked with completing the construction of 20,000 houses by February under the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” program. She emphasized that the goal of constructing 100,000 houses annually must be met without fail.

The briefing also revealed that loans totaling Rs 8.2 billion have been disbursed for the construction of 9,015 houses. Furthermore, 2,050 individuals have received the second installment of loans, and 4,841 houses are under construction.

More than 400,000 applications, complete with necessary documents, have been received for the “Apni Chhat Apna Ghar” program.

In previous updates, the Punjab government reported significant progress in the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” initiative, with over 5,000 homes nearing completion.

In a statement, CM Maryam Nawaz emphasized that loans under the program are being granted based on merit. Over 5,000 homes are nearly finished, and 3,000 individuals have received loans in Phase II. Those who borrow up to Rs 1.5 million will repay only the principal in installments of Rs 14,000 per month over nine years.

The “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” program is touted as the country’s first major interest-free housing initiative.