Apna Ghar scheme cuts required documents to five, sets 15-day processing limit

The federal government has eased application requirements for the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar housing scheme, cutting the number of mandatory documents from 25 to five and setting a maximum processing period of 15 working days.

The changes were announced during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday to review bank financing for housing, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture. Senior government officials, federal ministers, advisers and executives from several banks attended the meeting.

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Officials reported that 75,198 housing loans worth Rs448 billion had been approved under the Apna Ghar programme, while Rs76 billion had been disbursed to 14,000 beneficiaries. The government aims to arrange Rs700 billion in housing finance for 125,000 housing units during the current year.

Sharif directed authorities to make scheme-related information more accessible and simplify the process for obtaining clear property title documents needed to secure housing loans. A separate committee is also examining ways to expand financing for housing developers.

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Agricultural lending has reached Rs1,352 billion, benefiting around 3.455 million people, according to the briefing. The government intends to raise financing to Rs1,500 billion and increase the number of beneficiaries to 4.5 million by June 2027.

The prime minister called for inactive PASSCO warehouses and silos to be brought back into use through public-private partnerships to improve grain storage. He also directed officials to explore expanding a model that combines grain storage facilities with loans to farmers against stored produce.

More than 352,000 businesses have received a combined Rs1,137 billion in SME financing. The government plans to increase lending to Rs1,500 billion and expand the number of borrowing businesses to 575,000 by June 2027.

Sharif also welcomed Allied Bank’s investment plan for a proposed SME park and called for further improvements to financing procedures and regulations.

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The prime minister stressed that accessible and timely credit for housing, agriculture and small businesses was important for economic growth. While acknowledging banks contributing significantly to these sectors, he urged institutions falling short of expectations to improve their performance.

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The relevant ministries, government secretaries and the State Bank of Pakistan have been directed to consult stakeholders and recommend improvements to existing financing schemes. The consultation process must be completed by the end of October, while the committee examining developer financing has been asked to finalise its proposals promptly.

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