Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ initiative has been selected for the United Nations Scroll of Honour Award, recognizing its success in providing housing for low-income families. According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Punjab, the programme was chosen as one of the top five housing projects worldwide and will be honored at the World Habitat Day event in Muscat, Oman, on October 5.

The ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ programme, which stands out as Pakistan’s largest and first fully digital housing finance scheme, has distributed loans worth Rs260 billion to fund more than 200,000 houses. The initiative has seen around 125,000 families moving into homes constructed under its scheme. In its first phase, loans exceeding Rs196 billion were provided for 134,439 houses, and in the second phase, more than Rs62 billion were allocated for 65,000 houses.

The UN Scroll of Honour Award, presented annually to only five programmes globally, is a testament to the impact of the ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ initiative. The award ceremony in Muscat will be accompanied by seminars and workshops on housing and urban development from October 6 to 8.