Islamabad: National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has digitised as many as 288,394 registration forms for Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP), a news source reported. It revealed the numbers in a booklet compiled following the completion of first 100 working days of the interior ministry.
Under NPHP, the government plans to construct about five million low-cost residential units in five years. Departments concerned, overseen by a 17-member task force, are currently finalising the legal and technical frameworks. A land bank of one million kanals has already been acquired for the purpose.
The government is also in talks with financial institutions to provide interest-free loans for the housing programme. The houses will be offered on a 20-year payment plan where the monthly instalments will be as high as PKR 18,564. The applicants will be required to pay 20% of the total amount as a down payment. Those who own a piece of land will be able to get a bank loan of PKR 600,000.
Housing and Works Secretary Dr Imran Zeb said as many as 40 bidders and construction companies had approached the government for providing land and constructing affordable residential units and that the response had been encouraging so far. The construction of affordable houses under NPHP will start in January 2019.
