The Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has approved several key initiatives, including the "Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar" housing scheme, the Chief Minister's Green Tractor Program, and a Children's Heart Surgery Program. These approvals were made during the 15th provincial cabinet meeting.
Among the most notable projects is the housing loan initiative under the "Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar" scheme, which, for the first time in Pakistan, allows housing loans to be issued based on ownership papers and a copy of the identity card. Loans of up to 1.5 million rupees will be repayable in monthly installments of 14,000 rupees over nine years. Under Chief Minister Nawaz’s directive, this loan program has been converted into a revolving fund, ensuring no extra charges for the public.
The cabinet also approved the construction of 500,000 homes within the next five years, with a uniform front design for the housing units. Maryam Nawaz emphasized the goal of facilitating public access to housing and directed ministers to personally oversee the distribution of the first loan installments.
The Green Tractor Program was another major initiative approved by the cabinet. The program aims to distribute 9,500 tractors to farmers, offering a 1 million rupee subsidy per tractor to landowners with up to 50 acres. A lottery to allocate the tractors will take place on October 20, and the Chief Minister expressed the goal of providing 30,000 tractors to Punjab’s farmers.
In health-related decisions, the cabinet approved the Chief Minister’s Children's Heart Surgery Program, with orders to expedite 12,000 pending surgeries for children. Maryam Nawaz also instructed the Health Minister to monitor the program closely and called for international surgeons to assist in addressing children’s neurological disorders.
Further cabinet decisions included the approval of a new policy for the Medical and Dental College Admissions Test (MDCAT) for both public and private colleges and the establishment of Punjab's first life insurance company.
On the legislative front, amendments were made to the Punjab Arms Ordinance 1965, increasing penalties for the possession and manufacture of illegal weapons from three to five years of imprisonment, and fines were raised to 700,000 rupees. The cabinet also revised the penalties under the Kite Flying Ordinance 2001, with imprisonment for kite flying now ranging from 2 to 5 years and fines set between 2 to 5 million rupees.
These initiatives reflect the provincial government’s commitment to improving public welfare, agriculture, and healthcare across Punjab.
