Khan announced the ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Programme’ before completing his homework
HUNZA, G-B: There is no doubt that Prime Minister Imran Khan is a credible, straightforward, bold and fearless leader but it seems that he lacks the ability to make well thought-out judgment. Without scientific analyses, starting mega projects for popularity have proven to be a disaster in the past. And Khan announced the ‘Naya Pakistan Housing Programme’ before completing his homework.
Before launching this programme the government should have considered few important points. Considering that people in Pakistan live in different regions with different needs and conditions, the government should have conducted a survey. A similar policy for everyone would not yield the desired results.
Two things are important for this programmes’ successful completion. One is land and the second resources. Providing both is a tough task for the government. In cities land has become a scarce commodity. Poor and low-income people can’t purchase a piece of land to build a new house. So the government has to provide both land and resources. However, in rural areas most people can provide land and they will just need resources.
By doing a credible survey the government should have ascertained how many people need both land and resources and how many need just resources. And the government should have acquired land before its announcement.
Second, classification of people according to their financial position. For the transparency of this programme the government should have announced clear cut criteria of eligibility. For the application the government didn’t put any income limit and now all resourceful and resourceless groups are submitting applications.
The government has started this ambitious project but it remains to be seen how transparent this project would be.
Ahmad Jalil
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2018.
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