Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched on Wednesday the provincial government’s Apna Chhat Apna Ghar (our roof, our house) housing scheme.

“There’s no place like home,” CM Maryam said.

“Those who have their own home, their own roof, they don’t understand what it is like to be homeless.”

The chief minister said that owners of 1-5 marlas of land in urban areas and 1-10 marlas in rural areas would receive interest-free loans of Rs1.5m from the Punjab government to build houses.

For the first three months, landowners will not pay a single rupee, she added.

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She outlined the structure of the loan, saying it would be paid back over a period of seven years.

“There is no need to pay for the first three months. Those who take the loans will have to pay a maximum monthly instalment of Rs14,000.”

“I have kept the instalments at Rs14,000 because people need to establish a monthly budget, pay children’s fees and utility bills and buy food and medicine,” the CM said.

She further said that interested parties can fill out an online application on the PITB online portal.

“For the less IT-savvy, we have given a number: 080009100.”