Lahore – Punjab’s flagship housing initiative, Apni Chhat Apna Ghar, is seeking nomination for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) award for sustainable and inclusive development.
Launched in August 2024 by the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA), the programme addresses the province’s affordable housing challenges. Within its first year, it disbursed USD 350 million in interest-free loans to over 105,000 households, enabling them to build or improve their homes. By late 2025, approximately 30,000 of nearly 100,000 under-construction houses have been completed.
PHATA Director General Sikandar Zeeshan highlighted that the initiative combines policy reform, financial innovation, and digital governance, including an integrated platform for housing markets, project oversight, and beneficiary tracking. These systems aim to reduce red tape, improve transparency, and ensure assistance reaches those most in need.
Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department Secretary Capt (retired) Noorul Amin Mengal emphasized the programme’s social and economic impact. It empowers women, particularly female-headed households, and has created substantial employment while stimulating allied industries.
He added that the government has prioritized green and resilient housing designs to support climate goals and that institutional capacity gaps and private sector coordination have been addressed through targeted reforms, strengthening trust and accelerating project delivery.
The nomination for the UN-Habitat award reflects the programme’s contribution toward inclusive, sustainable, and affordable housing in Punjab, setting a model for urban development in Pakistan.
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