- author, Sana Asif Dar, Ahmad Ijaz
- position, BBC Urdu.com
A few days ago, the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has inaugurated a project called ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ by announcing to give loans in easy installments to low-income people who want to build their own houses across the province.
However, after the announcement of the government to give a loan of only up to 15 lakh rupees under this scheme, a question is being raised that whether it is possible to build a house with this amount of money or not.
On the other hand, it is being criticized by some circles that in the context of the financial problems faced by Pakistan, such schemes are nothing but a burden on the exchequer and may have political motives behind them.
It should be remembered that after assuming this post, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has so far announced several projects in the name of Roshan Gharana Program, Apna Chhat Apna Ghar, interest-free tractors, Khelta Punjab, solar system, livestock card.
In such a situation, the question is that if these projects reach completion, how many people will benefit?
It is also important to see what are the ground realities of these schemes, has work started on any scheme or are they just political slogans? Is the PML-N getting any political benefit from the announcements of the schemes and can the announcements of the immediate relief schemes be a result of political pressure?
Before knowing the answers to these questions, let’s see what is the ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ scheme and is it possible to build a house in 15 lakhs?
What is ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ Scheme?
According to the Punjab government, under this project, a loan of up to 15 lakh rupees will be given to build a house, which will have to be paid back in five to seven years.
People taking loans for building a house will not have to pay any installment for the first three months, but thereafter the monthly installment will be 14 thousand rupees.
Under the program, if an applicant has land up to 5 marlas in urban areas and 10 marlas in rural areas, he will be given this loan.
Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency Director General Saif Anwar told the BBC that applications for the scheme have already started, which will be followed by a draw.
He said that the name of the applicant who will come out in the lottery, then his plot or land will be evaluated.
“The engineer will examine the plot and it will be seen whether a house can be built on this land or not and only after that construction will be allowed.”
He further said that banks are not included in the scheme but the money will be given in two or three installments through microfinance institutions.
Saif Anwar added that this process will not stop. ‘People will apply, we will draw lots, check their land and give loans.’
He said that the government will build as many houses as there is demand.
The same report also said that half of the houses in urban areas are overcrowded and do not have access to basic infrastructure and facilities.
Is it possible to build a house in 15 lakh rupees?
People keep questioning the Punjab government’s ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’ project whether it is possible to build a house with this amount. The BBC has tried to find an answer to the same question.
Speaking to BBC, Ghulam Shabbir, who is associated with the construction department in Islamabad, said that the construction cost has increased a lot recently.
For example, a bag of cement has increased from five to six hundred rupees to 1500 now. The cost of wood and iron for making doors has also become very high.’
It takes eight to one million rupees to build just the foundation of a five-marla house. Can’t even put a lantern in these money.’
Talking about the Punjab government’s plan, Ghulam Shabbir said, “I think they will only build walls and put temporary girder on top.” Nothing more can be done in this budget.’
He said that the crude lantern is not even safe in rains and there is a fear of its falling. Concrete is needed to build a strong house.’
Ghulam Shabbir said that ‘to build a double-storey house on five marles, today it costs one crore rupees, while the construction cost of a single-storey house is Rs 50 to 55 lakh.’
The announcement of successive schemes is not the result of political pressure?
The PTI government that was formed as a result of the 2018 elections also promised to build 5 million houses across the country during its five-year rule, which was later followed by the new government formed after the end of the PTI government. was suspended.
Similarly, as a result of this year’s general elections, when Maryam Nawaz took the reins of Punjab, she faced the challenge of the traditional popularity of the Muslim League-N. It seems that Maryam Nawaz resorted to development projects and various relief schemes.
In this regard, a senior official of the Chief Minister’s House, on condition of anonymity, says that ‘politicians have the ability to keep their hands on the pulse of the people. They announce immediate relief after seeing the unrest of the people.’
He says that Maryam Nawaz keeps thinking about the plans for immediate relief. It will take time to explain how successfully these schemes are progressing.
Political analyst Tahir Kamran describes such schemes as a result of political pressure. According to him, the announcement of some schemes is a result of political pressure.
‘The aim is to create and maintain a place in the political mainstream. To me, these schemes of the Punjab government are childish and a figment of the nineties.
Is PML-N getting political benefit from such schemes? In response to this question, political analyst Zaigham Khan says that ‘Unspecified subsidy is nothing but a political target, it is used to score political points.’
Zaigham Khan draws attention to an important point. ‘Subsidies should always be defined,’ he says. The subsidy, which is undefined, also benefits those who are financially stable.
As per the two-month relief in electricity rates, it will be given up to 500 units. A small family with half a child, whose monthly income is three to four lakhs, can use up to four hundred units of electricity with an air conditioner, so even such a financially stable family gets relief.
How much burden do these schemes put on the public exchequer?
Where does the provincial government get money for such schemes, especially those that are not included in the budget?
According to the Chief Minister House official, people’s money should be spent on public projects. Some government employees get relief in various fields, so the common man also has the right. The budget of some schemes may also be the result of different types of savings and this amount is also withdrawn from the development funds of other sectors.
It should be noted that subsidies on some items given by the government are kept within the budget and on some, like the two-month relief given in electricity rates, funds are taken out of development schemes for them.
Political analyst Tahir Kamran opines that such sudden relief schemes divert money mostly from the education and health sectors.
What are the ground realities of various schemes of Punjab government?
How far have the various schemes of the provincial government reached? Has the people started getting relief or not?
Regarding ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’, DG Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency Saif Anwar Jabba says that there are three models of ‘Apni Chhat Apna Ghar’, work on two of which has not yet started while one in which the plot owner will be given an interest-free loan, but the work has already begun.
How viable is this scheme? Talking about this aspect, Saif Anwar Jabba says that it is a feasible plan. The work will be done under photographic evidence.’
Punjab government also has a scheme ‘Sathra Punjab’, which is for rural areas.
An official of the Local Government and Community Development Department, Punjab, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the scheme was estimated by the Punjab government on a self-sustaining basis. Fees were charged from households, shops, petrol pumps, marriage halls and service stations, industrial units.
But according to the official, ‘practically, the obstacles in the collection of fees are obstacles because people do not want to pay the fees. The revenue department was supposed to be responsible for the collection of fees through patwaris, but the patwaris did not prove to be very helpful in this regard, so the Punjab government All the pressure was put on the secretaries of USC. If this scheme is going on a little at the moment, only the secretaries of USC have a role in it.’
In this regard, we tried to know by talking to some secretaries of the rural union councils of different cities of Punjab that this scheme is going on successfully or it has just become a digital operation?
In this regard, this aspect came to light that the process of collecting the fees has failed because those who were supposed to collect the money ie Patwari, Numdar etc. are not able to do so.
In response to the question that the Sathra Punjab campaign improved the sanitation system of rural areas? A union council secretary says, ‘There are six to seven chucks in the UC and it takes five to seven days just to clean the drains of one chuck. In this way, the turn of a chuck comes after a month, so think for yourself how much the cleaning system would have improved.’
Does cleanliness mean just cleaning the drains? Another UC secretary says that there is a two-man cleaning crew and a rickshaw loader. Mere drains are being cleaned very hard with this staff.’
Similarly, the secretary of an Orion Council says, “The government insists on sending pictures of them working online.”
The Punjab government also introduced a cheap bread scheme. Nawaz Sharif himself was also seen checking the cheap bread on the oven along with Maryam Nawaz.
How viable are such schemes? A price control magistrate described his experience as follows: ‘When the government fixes the price of a commodity, the ground realities are generally ignored. As a result, the specified price of the goods is different, the available price is different or the quality of the goods is degraded. The cheap bread scheme was also created by ignoring the ground realities.