Maryam Nawaz hands over keys of 720 apartments to low-income workers

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz handed over keys of 720 free apartments to labourers under a government housing scheme, saying the initiative aimed to provide shelter and economic relief to low-income families.

Speaking at a ceremony, she said the housing project was part of efforts to support working-class families struggling with rising living costs and rent burdens.

“Congratulations to all of you, workers of Pakistan. You have your own home now, your own roof,” she said, addressing beneficiaries at the event.

“You will no longer have to worry about landlords coming or paying rent,” she said.

She said that for many households, meeting daily expenses already remained difficult, making home ownership out of reach for a large segment of the population.

“Whether rich or poor, when a person gets a home, it provides security for their children and makes their hard work meaningful,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz said the initiative reflected a long-standing vision linked to her family’s political legacy in the labour sector, adding that thousands more housing units were in the pipeline.

She said 720 families had been provided homes, while 500 additional houses were ready in Taxila.

The chief minister said more than 1,000 additional housing units were planned over the next three years, along with soft loans and three-marla plots for eligible workers.

She said the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” housing programme had already delivered around 100,000 homes within a year and a half, describing it as an unprecedented achievement.

“Perhaps this is a unique example in the world where 100,000 homes were built in a single year,” she said.

She said that 65,000 more houses were currently under construction, with a long-term target of 500,000 homes over the next three and a half years.

Maryam Nawaz also said the government had issued ration cards worth 40 billion rupees for 1.5 million labourers, providing monthly financial assistance of 3,000 rupees per household.

She said safety measures for construction workers had been made mandatory at work sites and stressed that governments existed to improve public welfare.

“Pray that I am given the ability to serve every poor household and be useful to everyone,” she said.