ISLAMABAD, July 28: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Tuesday, reaffirmed that providing affordable housing to ordinary citizens remained one of the government’s top priorities.

He said the government had launched the Apna Ghar Scheme to enable low- and middle-income families to own a home.

The prime minister chaired a review meeting on the progress of the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme and directed the relevant authorities to accelerate the pace of its implementation, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

He urged both public and private sector banks to maximize financing to ensure the success of the initiative.

He also instructed officials to formulate a comprehensive strategy for both vertical and horizontal housing development models under the scheme.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other senior government officials.

During the meeting, officials briefed the Prime Minister on the progress made in financing under the Apna Ghar Scheme.

They informed him that banks had so far approved financing worth Rs204 billion, while Rs27 billion has already been disbursed.

The meeting was further informed that the Ministry of Housing and Works and the State Bank of Pakistan were conducting weekly reviews to monitor progress on the scheme.