Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey of properties that could be used to provide loans to people seeking to build homes under the Apna Ghar scheme.
The directive was issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister to review progress on the Apna Ghar scheme, the agriculture sector and small and medium-sized enterprises.
The meeting was informed that 147,504 applications have so far been received under the Apna Ghar scheme, of which 53,127 have been approved.
The total value of the approved applications stands at Rs313.42 billion, while loans worth Rs45.43 billion have been disbursed to 8,739 applicants.
Officials told the meeting that a system was being developed to identify plots across the country that meet the requirements for being mortgaged to obtain loans. Islamabad has been selected as the pilot city for the initiative.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also directed authorities to develop an effective mechanism to involve leading housing developers in the scheme to make it more effective.
He urged banks and financial institutions to play their role in providing loans to farmers, small and medium-sized businesses and the housing sector.
The prime minister stressed the need to expand access to financing and ensure that eligible citizens can benefit from the government’s housing initiative.
