Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has decided to launch the “Apna Ghar, Mahfuz Ghar” programme to improve the safety of residential buildings in the province and provide facilities to families living in weak houses. Under this project, financial assistance will be provided for the repair of houses with damaged and weak roofs, while interest-free loans will be provided for the construction of new construction or additional floors.
In a special meeting chaired by the chief minister of Punjab, officials briefed that under the new programme, houses with dilapidated roofs or buildings will be identified. Families will be given financial assistance of up to five hundred thousand rupees for the repair and strengthening of houses, while interest-free loans of up to one million rupees will be provided on easy instalments for the extension of the house, construction of an additional floor or construction of a new residence.
The meeting was also informed about the progress of the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme. According to officials, loans have been approved for more than 180,000 homeless families so far, while funds have been released to 170,000 families. A total of 217.8 billion rupees has been allocated for the project.
The briefing said that 27,500 houses have entered the final stages of construction across Punjab, while the construction of 134,343 houses has been completed, providing permanent housing to thousands of families.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed the concerned authorities to release the second instalment of the loan to the deserving people within three days so that the work of the under-construction houses can continue without interruption. She said that there should be no room for delay in public welfare projects, and effective implementation is the standard of good governance.
The chief minister further directed that the procedure for obtaining loans should be made more simple and transparent so that low-income citizens do not face unnecessary difficulties. She said that the two thousand homeless families who have been provided free plots by the government will also be given interest-free loans for the construction of houses.
He expressed his determination that the Punjab government will keep residential security among its priorities and will assist all families whose homes are in a vulnerable or dangerous condition so that citizens can live in a safe and dignified residential environment.
