Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has carried out the computerized balloting for the Apna Khet Apna Rozgar scheme, under which 121,000 acres of cultivable government land have been allocated to 30,000 landless families across Punjab.
Announcing the development, Maryam Nawaz said that 30,000 deserving families have been made owners and custodians of cultivable government land through the Apna Khet Apna Rozgar scheme.
The selected families have been granted cultivation rights for 20 years under a symbolic lease of Rs100 per year. The initiative is aimed at providing landless families with long-term security and a stable source of livelihood.
Calling the programme a major step toward empowering low-income families, the chief minister said Punjab is the first province to make ordinary citizens stakeholders in government-owned agricultural land.
Officials informed Maryam Nawaz that the Apna Khet Apna Rozgar programme was launched on April 22.
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During the briefing, officials said computerized balloting for 29,000 plots was completed from a pool of 60,000 applicants, including 11,000 women.
They also shared that, for the first time, every applicant was given a chance for a personal hearing, while an appeal process was introduced to ensure transparency throughout the selection process.
Successful applicants will receive their allotment letters within a week, while the process of land positioning is expected to be completed by July 31.
District-level committees have also been formed to supervise the implementation of the scheme and issue lease certificates.
Maryam Nawaz said the government will not only provide land but will also extend financial assistance and technical support to help beneficiaries begin farming successfully.
Under the scheme, each selected family will receive Rs50,000 per acre for cultivation. In addition, teams from the Agriculture Extension Department will provide technical guidance to improve agricultural productivity.
During a telephone conversation with Abdul Sattar, son of Mukhtar Ahmed from Faisalabad, Maryam Nawaz congratulated him on being selected for the scheme.
She informed him that he had been allotted four acres of cultivable land and would only have to pay Rs100 annually under the lease agreement.
She further told him that he would receive Rs200,000 for land preparation so he would not have to depend on anyone else. “Earn well, prosper, and provide for your family,” the chief minister told Abdul Sattar.