LAHORE, March 13: The Punjab government has decided to distribute 100,000 acres among landless peasants in 24 districts of the province.

The decision was made at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi here on Thursday.

The chief minister would launch the scheme in Muzaffargarh later this month.

Peasants would be given land in Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Chakwal.

The chief minister ordered constitution of committees at district and tehsil levels to ensure distribution of land only among the deserving peasants, each of whom would get 12.5 acres.

The committees would operate under the supervision of district coordination officers (DCOs) and complete distribution of land before June 30.

The chief minister said the focus of government’s overall policy was economic rehabilitation of the poor and downtrodden people, and distribution of land was a part of that policy.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi directed the local government secretary to submit a report about kutcha abadis in the province within a week so that residents could be given ownership rights at the earliest.

He said the government would also provide amenities and health and education facilities to residents of kutcha abadis.