Punjab launches lease scheme for 30,000 landless families

The Punjab provincial government allocated 121,000 acres of cultivable state land to 30,000 landless families under the "Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar" programme. Beneficiaries received a 20‑year lease at a symbolic Rs 100 per acre and financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per acre for land preparation, together with technical support from the Agriculture Extension Department.

The scheme, launched on April 22, used computerized balloting to select families from about 60,000 applicants, including roughly 11,000 women. A quota reserves 20 % of allocations for female beneficiaries, and women represented 29 % of applicants in the Cholistan component. Allocation letters were to be issued within a week and possession expected by July 31, with district committees overseeing implementation and appeals.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif presented the scheme, emphasizing merit‑based selection, no political recommendations, and the aim of strengthening rural livelihoods and agricultural production.