ISLAMABAD: Over 5,500 transgender persons are among over 1.9 million applicants for the Naya Housing Pakistan Progra­mme, shows data released by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

The applicants include 184,355 slum dwellers, 34,654 widows, 9,325 divorced women and 715,473 people from the labour class.

The pace of registration for the scheme has witnessed an increase as the last date approaches near. The government has set Dec 15 as the last data after a month’s extension was announced last month.

According to a Nadra spokesman, applications in sizeable numbers were being received across the country. The programme is meant to translate the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan under which poor segments of society will get their own homes on easy instalments.

Nadra is providing services for registration through its country-wide e-sahulat network, besides online registration through its website.

According to the spokesman, so far over 1,918,000 (1.91m) people have got themselves registered for the programme, out of which over one million availed the facility of online registration.

The spokesman said Islamabad topped the list of applicants in the second phase of the programme with 259,276 applications. There are 22,089 applicants from Lahore district, 121,759 from different districts of Karachi, 77,569 people from Multan, 57,442 from Bahawalpur district and 44,685 from Peshawar district.

Nadra has asked the intending applicants not to wait for the last date and get themselves registered by submitting a nominal fee of Rs250 at any e-sahulat franchise.

Overseas Pakistanis and other people wishing to own their houses on instalments can also apply online while sitting in their homes by accessing Nadra’s website nphp.nadra.gov.pk without any additional fee.

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the second phase of registration for the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme in mid-July this year, asserting that the scheme would provide affordable housing to low-income sections of society.

The prime minister had also launched a web portal by clicking on the button from where applicants could register themselves while at home without needing to visit any office.

At the launching ceremony, the prime minister had said that the cabinet would approve necessary legislation to enable commercial banks to extend the facility of loans to those who could not afford to buy a house.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2019