The federal government has reduced the paperwork needed to apply for the Apna Ghar housing scheme from 25 documents to five, a change intended to make applying simpler. The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also set a ceiling of 15 working days for processing applications so that loans can be approved faster.
Sharif told officials to streamline the procedure further and to help citizens secure the property ownership papers needed to obtain housing finance. He also asked the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and relevant ministries to consult stakeholders and present final proposals by the end of October. The aim is to expand lending for housing, agriculture and small businesses.
Agriculture and small business lending progress
The meeting was also briefed on progress under other government lending schemes. Agricultural lending has reached Rs1,352 billion, and the government plans to lift it to Rs1,500 billion by June 2027 while increasing the number of beneficiary farmers to 4.5 million.
More than 352,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have received loans worth Rs1,137 billion. The government intends to raise lending to this sector to Rs1,500 billion by June 2027 and extend support to 575,000 business owners.
