How was 2020 for govt’s Naya Pakistan Housing Programme
Thursday December 31, 2020
Lahore: Both the federal and provincial government made great strides in their commitment to providing affordable housing to the society’s low and middle-income groups as part of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP). Introduced as a part of the ruling party’s election manifesto, the NPHP initiative aims to provide five million houses to the underprivileged segments on low-interest rates. And the ambitious project has come a long way since its launch in 2018. Here are some of the biggest NPHP developments which took place in 2020: The authorities concerned, on numerous occasion, have reiterated their commitment to providing NPHP apartments on low monthly instalments. And their promises turned out to be true when Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar announced the pricing options and payment plans for low-cost NPHP apartments being developed in LDA City. According to the announcement, the price for a single apartment begins from PKR 2.7 million. Moreover, the executive has set PKR 16,000 as the monthly instalment for said property. According to the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), which itself is developing NPHP homes in line with PM Khan’s vision, the ongoing construction activity would create employment opportunities for millions of individuals. Further, demand for construction material is seen to increase following the commencement of NPHP projects; giving fresh impetus to as many as 40 allied industries. Back in November, the Punjab government provided its approval to the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) Ordinance 2020. Under said law, private builders registered with the government are required to earmark 20 plots within their housing schemes for the development of low-cost housing units. In return, these developers will enjoy complete immunity from building approvals and NOC issuance. The ordinance also makes it mandatory for developers of low-cost housing schemes to handover 20% of their total plot inventory to the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA). In line with the State Bank of Pakistan’s directives to provide shariah compliant housing loans, Faysal Bank notified its own version of the NPHP loan scheme, called ‘Faysal Tabeer’, in October. The financial institution also publicized major features of the initiative such as tiers, eligibility criteria and financing tenure.The same month, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government, in collaboration with the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA), introduced the NPHP initiative for all AJK government employees, members of the general public, and civil servants (who hail from the region and are posted in various federal/provincial departments). According to the official notification, the AJK government intends to construct Type C and Type D flats in addition to 5-marla homes. Click here for details on flat size, price, and facilities. Earlier in October, the governing body of the Faisalabad Development Authority (FDA) provided its approval to the proposal shared for the construction of low-cost housing units under the NPHP project in the FDA City. The project is estimated to cost PKR 5 billion and it will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. To read full coverage of the story, please click here. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP government conducted a ballot to allot 8,000 grey structures in the Surizai Housing Scheme. This information was revealed during a meeting; presided over by KP Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan. The Punjab government announced its decision to construct NPHP apartments in areas surrounding the Rawalpindi Ring Road (RRR) project route. The provincial executive also stated that it intended to introduce major facilities such as two industrial zones, an education city, and a theme park along the Ring Road project route. The provincial executive announced its decision to construct 35,000 NPHP apartments for salaried individuals in the city. In a related development, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) stated that it had prepared the PC-I for its LDA City Naya Pakistan Apartments projects. The Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) and the Housing Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of NPHP in the province. FGEHA Director General (DG) Wasim Hayat Bajwa stated that the KP government would provide 36 kanals of land in Nishtarabad, Peshawar, to construct residential apartments. He added that the FGEHA would extend technical and administrative support for completion of the initiative. Groundbreaking held for Hazro, Attock’s low-cost NPHP project Advisor to Prime Minister (PM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam performed the groundbreaking for an NPHP project in the Hazro Town of Attock. The project encompasses 400 kanals of land, featuring 658 plots. These include 90 10-marla plots, 64 7-marla plots, 189 5-marla plots, and 400 3-marla plots. PM reveals construction industry package, announces subsidy for NPHP developments In what was the biggest development involving the country’s construction sector, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan approved a major incentive package – with the initiative also containing a PKR 30 billion subsidy for the government’s flagship NPHP project. Moreover, Khan revealed that the government had come to an arrangement with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and other commercial banks, and asked them to allocate 5% (which amounts to PKR 330 billion) of their portfolios for housing finance. USD 3.2mn pledged for NPHP developments The International Finance Corporation (IFC) stated that it had invested USD 3.2 million (nearly PKR 500 million) in the Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company (PMRC) for facilitating affordable developments under the NPHP initiative in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). June NPHP Financing: Steering Committee meets with banking officials The Steering Committee on Housing and Construction met with officials from the banking sector to discuss various methods for boosting housing finance and providing financial backing to the federal government’s flagship NPHP initiative. SBP, banks organise meet to identify finances, mortgage facilities for NPHP developments State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir convened a meeting to deliberate on the measures proposed by the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA) and to identify the means for ensuring sustainable market-led financing for the initiative’s residential developments and their mortgages. Punjab Budget 2020-21: Govt allocates PKR 1bn for NPHP developments The Punjab government allocated PKR 1 billion for the development of low-cost housing projects under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) in the province. To facilitate this measure, the government set aside PKR 30 billion as subsidy for the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NPHDA). EOI invited for construction of low-cost NPHP apartments in LDA City The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from interested firms for the construction of multi-storey Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) apartments in LDA City. The land for this purpose had been identified in LDA City housing scheme. It spans over 2,000 kanals that will be utilised for the construction of as many as 10,000 housing units in two years. April Blue World City pledges construction of 5,000 homes under NPHP The administration of the private housing project ‘Blue World City’ offered to construct 5,000 low-cost houses and developed land for 50,000 apartments worth PKR 8 billion. It offered to construct these homes at its project site adjacent to the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Motorway. March NPHP Rawalpindi project development begins The authorities concerned commenced with the development work at the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) project site at Dhok Munshi, Chaklala (Rawalpindi). According to officials, the low-cost housing units will be developed on 508 kanals of land owned by the Capital Development Authority (CDA). PM breaks ground for low-cost NPHP projects in Islamabad, Lahore Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan broke ground for the development of 20,000 housing units – which will cost up to PKR 100 billion. These units will be developed in Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad for salaried and low-income families. PM hands over interest-free loan cheques under NPHP, terms 2020 the year of housing Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan vowed that as the income of the government will increase, more funding for the housing sector will be available. The premiere affirmed these sentiments while addressing the interest-free loan (worth PKR 5 billion) cheque distribution ceremony for the construction of low-cost houses under PM’s Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP). LDA, WASA & TEPA employees to get 10,000 apartments under NPHP The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) stated that it would develop 10,000 residential apartments under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP) the officials of the Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). February PM approves ‘New Blue Area’ for Islamabad; project revenue to fund NPHP developments Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan provided his approval to the development plan for a commercial city named ‘New Blue Area’ in the capital city. To facilitate the project’s construction, the government allocated 170 kanals of land in front of Sector F-9 park. Punjab, Akhuwat sign MoU to grant interest-free loans for NPHP units The Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Akhuwat to grant interest-free loans for constructing low-cost homes under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP). PHATA to build over one million NPHP houses in Punjab Under said initiative, PHATA stated that it will help the provincial executive construct 170,000 houses, while the remaining 1.2 million houses will to be developed under a public-private partnership mode. January Funds allocated for NPHP; construction sector given industry status Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan announced the federal government’s decision to allocate PKR 25 billion for the development of the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme (NPHP). In addition, he directed for categorising the construction sector as an ‘Industry‘ and asked the officials concerned to take the necessary operational measures to see to this designation-conferment. NADRA shares NPHP applications breakdown The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) stated that out of the total 1.98 million applications received for registration to the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme, 38% were attributed to the submissions hailing from the country’s labour class. Details here. Did we miss out any important development pertaining to the NPHP initiative? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
