News
Punjab Reports Rs260bn Housing Loans Under Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Scheme
By Mariam Khan
Real Estate Analyst
3 min read
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has shared updated figures for the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme during a meeting with Oman's housing minister. According to the chief minister, more than 200,000 people have received housing loans totalling Rs260 billion over 18 months, and over 125,000 families have moved into their homes. She also reported a loan-recovery rate above 99 percent and reiterated the provincial government's five-year target of 500,000 homes for low-income households. These are government-reported figures. Programme information is published by the Government of the Punjab.
Why These Are Government-Reported Figures
The numbers come from the chief minister's own account of the programme. The reports do not point to an independent audit or a published dataset, so they should be attributed to the Punjab government. We have taken the same approach to the programme's recent international recognition, which we covered in Maryam Nawaz Receives UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour for Apni Chhat Apna Ghar.
Why the Averages Are Worth Calculating but Not Over-Reading
Rs260 billion shared among more than 200,000 borrowers works out at roughly Rs1.3 million per borrower or less (our own calculation, and a rough one, because the number of borrowers is given as "more than" 200,000). The reports do not give the loan sizes, so this average should not be quoted as the typical loan. The reports also do not say how many of the 200,000 borrowers are among the 125,000 families who have moved in, so the two figures cannot be compared directly.
Why the 99 Percent Recovery Rate Needs Context
A recovery rate above 99 percent suggests borrowers are repaying, but the reports do not say how recovery is measured, over what period, or what share of loans have reached the stage where repayment is due. After 18 months, many loans may be recently issued, which would affect any recovery rate. The figure is claimed by the government and is not independently confirmed in these reports.
Why the 500,000-Home Target Is the Benchmark
The five-year target of 500,000 homes for low-income households is the scale the programme is judged against. If 125,000 families have moved in so far, as stated, that is about a quarter of the target (our own calculation), though the reports do not say how the five-year period is counted or whether it started at the same time as the 18 months mentioned. The programme sits alongside the World Bank's Punjab affordable housing extension, and in the wider national context in which only a fraction of approved affordable housing finance has been disbursed, as in our report on the 19 percent disbursement figure.
What This Means for Buyers, Builders and Material Suppliers
The figures indicate substantial activity in subsidised housing finance, which could support residential construction, building-material demand and homeownership among lower-income households, if they are accurate. Builders and suppliers in Punjab should treat the programme as a source of demand but should wait for official data on construction starts and completions. Applicants should rely on official programme channels and not on intermediaries. Updates are published by the Government of the Punjab.