Prime Minister Apna Ghar Program: Easy housing loans now available through non-banking institutions

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has approved a major change in the Prime Minister Apna Ghar Program to make house purchase and construction easier for common citizens.

Under the new decision, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) have also been included in this scheme. With this move, people who faced difficulties in taking loans from traditional banks due to various reasons will also be able to get housing loans.

This decision has been taken on the recommendation of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The government has also issued a new framework for this purpose so that the process of providing loans can be made transparent, fast and more effective.

According to the SECP, non-banking housing finance and investment finance companies will now be authorized to provide housing loans up to Rs 10 million. In addition, microfinance companies will also be able to provide loans up to a maximum of Rs 5 million under this program. This decision will create new opportunities for financial facilities for low and middle-income families.

The government has also maintained a large concession in the interest rate for borrowers. Under the program, housing finance will be available at an annual interest rate of only 5 percent for the first 10 years. Thanks to this low interest rate, citizens will be able to build their own house, complete an under-construction house or purchase a ready-made house on relatively easy terms.

The network of non-banking financial institutions is present in remote and backward areas of the country, where bank branches are few. For this reason, now even such citizens will be able to benefit from this program who could not benefit from this scheme earlier due to lack of bank accounts or inability to fulfill other banking conditions.

According to the new regulations, NBFCs will also be able to provide housing loans in collaboration with banks and other financial institutions. This will further speed up the loan approval process and more people will be able to benefit from this facility.

The main objective of the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar program is to help low and middle-income families to provide their own housing. Through this scheme, citizens will be able to get loans ranging from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 10 million on easy terms.