Punjab broadens housing loan programme with Rs1m financing cap for low-income families

The Punjab government will provide interest-free housing loans to another 100,000 families in the next fiscal year after deciding to expand the scope of its Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme to include home repairs and rehabilitation alongside new construction.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Bilal Yasin, where officials reviewed the framework for the enlarged housing initiative launched under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Under the expanded programme, eligible applicants will be able to obtain interest-free loans ranging from Rs500,000 to Rs1 million through an online portal to build new homes, add new portions, construct roofs or rehabilitate dilapidated houses.

Bilal Yasin said the revised scheme would extend assistance to low-income households, homeless citizens and families living in unsafe or substandard homes in both urban and rural areas of the province.

He said the government had already disbursed interest-free housing loans to 170,000 families through the programme and was now preparing to significantly widen its reach during the upcoming fiscal year.

According to the minister, broadening the scheme beyond new house construction would help more deserving families improve existing homes while promoting access to safer and better-quality housing.

He said the expansion was also expected to support economic activity by generating employment in the construction sector and creating additional demand for building materials and related industries.

Bilal Yasin instructed the departments concerned to ensure the scheme was implemented through a transparent and efficient mechanism so that financial assistance reached eligible beneficiaries without delay.

The meeting was briefed on the implementation framework by Bank of Punjab President Zafar Masud, Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal and PHATA Director General Sikandar Zeeshan.