Punjab Cabinet Approves Rs 60 Billion for 40,000 Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Loans
Punjab's cabinet approved Rs 60 billion on 19 October 2026 for 40,000 Apni Chhat Apna Ghar loans via the Bank of Punjab. See loan terms and how to apply.
Short answer: The Punjab Cabinet approved Rs 60 billion for the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme on Monday, 19 October 2026. Under the decision, the Bank of Punjab will give 40,000 housing loans. That works out to Rs 1.5 million a loan, the scheme's full interest-free amount.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Lahore. The decision was carried the same day by Radio Pakistan, the state broadcaster. We read that report on 20 October 2026. The Punjab government's own websites did not load from our connection that morning, so the cabinet's written handout is not something we could open.
Apni Chhat Apna Ghar, often shortened to ACAG, is Punjab's interest-free home loan for families who already own a small plot. It is a provincial welfare scheme. It is not the federal Apna Ghar bank loan, and the two are easy to confuse this month because both now carry a Rs 60 billion figure.
Punjab approved Rs 60 billion for 40,000 ACAG home loans
The Punjab Cabinet approved Rs 60 billion for Apni Chhat Apna Ghar on 19 October 2026, with the Bank of Punjab providing 40,000 housing loans. The money funds new loans to build houses on plots families already own. It does not buy land.
Divide Rs 60 billion by 40,000 loans and you get Rs 1.5 million each. That is our arithmetic, not a cabinet figure. But it matches the maximum new-house loan the ACAG portal listed when we read it on 28 September 2026: up to Rs 1.5 million, interest free, repaid over 7 years.
So the approval looks sized for full loans, not small top-ups. The report does not say how quickly the 40,000 loans will be issued, or whether they go to people already waiting or to new applicants.
| What was decided on 19 October 2026 | Detail given |
|---|---|
| Apni Chhat Apna Ghar funding | Rs 60 billion |
| Lender | Bank of Punjab |
| Number of loans | 40,000 housing loans |
| Average per loan | Rs 1.5 million (our arithmetic) |
| Also approved | Horticulture authorities in 20 districts, a subsidy for the Thal agriculture project, 79 intelligence posts |
The ACAG loan terms stay the same: Rs 1.5 million over 7 years
Nothing in the 19 October report changes who qualifies or how much you can borrow. The new-house loan remains up to Rs 1.5 million, interest free, repaid in monthly instalments over 7 years and paid out in stages as the house goes up.
If a Rs 1.5 million loan were repaid in 84 equal monthly instalments, each would be about Rs 17,857. That is our sum, to give you a sense of the monthly cost. Your actual schedule comes from the Bank of Punjab and the portal, so check it there.
- You must live in Punjab and be 21 to 60 years old.
- You must be the sole owner of a plot, up to 5 marla in a city or 10 marla in a village.
- You must have no criminal record and no unpaid loan default.
- The portal offered a 20 per cent rebate on the remaining principal if the loan is cleared in years 1 to 3, and 10 per cent in years 4 to 6.
The plot rule catches many people. If land came to you through inheritance, it has to be in your name alone first, which means finishing the inheritance mutation in Punjab before you apply. If you have no plot at all, the separate free 3 marla plot scheme is the one to look at.
40,000 loans add to more than 212,000 already disbursed
When we read the ACAG portal on 28 September 2026, its counter showed 212,531 loans disbursed, worth Rs 273,655.8 million. It also showed 119,842 houses finished and 57,438 under construction. The 40,000 new loans would sit on top of those numbers.
Those counter figures are three weeks old and we could not reload the portal on 20 October. Read them as a guide to the scheme's size, not a live total. Add 40,000 to 212,531 and you get 252,531 loans, if every new loan is issued. That is our arithmetic.
A large approval often brings fake "registration" messages. Registration is free and online, we found no SMS code for applying, and you should not send your CNIC to one.
Punjab's Rs 60 billion is not the federal Apna Ghar Rs 60 billion
Two different Rs 60 billion figures are now in the news. Punjab's is fresh money approved for interest-free ACAG loans. The federal one is the amount the finance minister said banks had already financed under the Prime Minister's Apna Ghar mark-up subsidy loans.
The federal programme is a bank home loan at a subsidised rate, open across Pakistan. Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on 1 October that about Rs 60 billion had been financed and a further Rs 340 billion approved and waiting, as set out in the federal Apna Ghar financing figures. That has nothing to do with the Punjab Cabinet's decision.
| Point | Punjab ACAG | Federal Apna Ghar |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Punjab government, Bank of Punjab lending | Federal government through banks |
| Mark-up | None | Subsidised rate |
| Rs 60 billion means | Newly approved on 19 October 2026 | Already financed, per the 1 October statement |
| Where you apply | acag.punjab.gov.pk | A participating bank |
How to apply for an ACAG loan now
Apply online at acag.punjab.gov.pk with your own CNIC and a mobile number registered in your name. There is no fee. The helpline listed on the portal is 0800-09100. Keep your land record ready before you start, because the plot is checked.
- Open acag.punjab.gov.pk and choose "Apply for Construction of New House".
- Register with your name, CNIC, father's or husband's CNIC, mobile network and number, and district.
- Enter the code sent by SMS to your own SIM and set a password.
- Log in with your CNIC and password and fill in the application.
- Upload your land papers, such as the Fard, and note your application number.
The full walkthrough, including the eligibility conflict between the two official pages on the poverty score, is in the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar loan application steps. If your family also relies on monthly support, the Maryam Nawaz ration card is a separate Punjab scheme with its own rules.
Common questions
How much did the Punjab Cabinet approve for Apni Chhat Apna Ghar?
Rs 60 billion, on 19 October 2026. The Bank of Punjab is to provide 40,000 housing loans under it.
How much is each ACAG loan?
Up to Rs 1.5 million for a new house, interest free, over 7 years. Rs 60 billion across 40,000 loans averages exactly Rs 1.5 million.
Do I need to apply again if I already applied?
The report does not say. Log in to the portal with your CNIC and password to see your status rather than filing a second application.
Is there a fee or an SMS number to register?
No fee is listed, and we found no SMS route on the official pages. Apply only on acag.punjab.gov.pk or call 0800-09100.
Can I get the loan without owning a plot?
No. You must own the plot alone, up to 5 marla urban or 10 marla rural. Families without land can look at the Apni Zameen Apna Ghar plot scheme.
Is this the same as the federal Apna Ghar loan?
No. The federal scheme is a subsidised bank loan. ACAG is Punjab's interest-free loan with the Bank of Punjab as lender.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 20 October 2026. The cabinet decision, the Rs 60 billion, the 40,000 loans and the Bank of Punjab's role come from the 19 October 2026 report by Radio Pakistan, which we read on 20 October. The punjab.gov.pk and acag.punjab.gov.pk websites did not load from our connection on 20 October, so we could not read a cabinet handout or a live portal counter. Loan terms, eligibility and the counter figures come from our reading of the ACAG portal on 28 September 2026. The federal figures come from the Finance Division statement of 1 October 2026. The Rs 1.5 million average, the Rs 17,857 instalment and the 252,531 total are our own arithmetic. We could not confirm the timeline for the 40,000 loans or which applicants they will reach.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
