LAHORE: The Punjab government will provide over 1,800 three-marla plots free of cost to the poor and homeless people in the province in the first phase of its housing scheme.

“Implementation of the decision to provide free plots to homeless people in Punjab has begun,” Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Thursday.

In the first phase, 1,892 plots will be provided to the deserving people in 33 housing schemes in 22 districts.

The plots will be provided under the scheme in Hazro, Attock, Jhelum, Gujarat, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Mamun Kanjan, Salanwali, Jhang, Patoki, Okara, Renala Khurd, Bhakkar, Khushab, Layyah, Vehari, Lodhran, Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Fort Munro, Rajanpur, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar.

The government said that 658 three-marla plots will be provided in five schemes in four districts of Rawalpindi division; 288 plots in four schemes of five districts of Faisalabad division; 518 plots in five schemes in three districts of Lahore region; 131 plot in seven schemes of Bhakkar region; 270 plots in nine schemes of five districts of Multan region and 27 plots will be provided in 3 schemes of Bahawalpur region.

The CM directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to provide free plots to the needy homeless people in the province.

laptop scheme: The Punjab government on Thursday finalised merit criteria for laptop scheme for the students of the province.

Provincial Minister for Education Rana Sikandar Hayat presided over a high-level review meeting to discuss the launch of the laptop scheme. The session, attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education Ajmal Chandio and Higher Education Department (HED) Secretary Dr Farrukh Naveed, focused on finalising the scheme’s rules, procedures, and eligibility criteria.

The minister directed to expedite the process and sought final dates for the web portal launch, application scrutiny and merit list announcement.

In the first phase, laptops will be distributed to first and second-semester students. The merit criteria have been set at a minimum of 65 per cent for BS students and 80pc for medical students, based on their intermediate examination marks.

Mr Hayat also instructed the immediate completion of the online application portal and emphasised the final preparations for the “Honhaar Scholarship Programme Phase 2.”

He said that the students holding provincial domicile and enrolled in Punjab’s public colleges and universities will be eligible to apply.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2025