ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed authorities to accelerate the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme after being informed that banks had approved housing finance worth Rs204 billion, with Rs27 billion already disbursed to the beneficiaries under the initiative aimed at enabling low- and middle-income families to own homes.Chairing a review meeting on the progress of the scheme here, the prime minister said providing every citizen with a shelter was among the government’s highest priorities. He said the Apna Ghar Scheme had been launched to facilitate poor and middle-income families in acquiring their own homes through affordable financing, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the relevant authorities to accelerate the pace of work and called upon both public and private sector banks to maximise financing under the scheme to ensure its success.The prime minister also instructed the authorities to formulate a comprehensive strategy for developing both vertical and horizontal model housing projects under the Apna Ghar Scheme to expand affordable housing opportunities across the country.During the meeting, officials briefed the prime minister that the Ministry of Housing and Works and the State Bank of Pakistan were jointly reviewing progress on a weekly basis to monitor implementation and remove bottlenecks.The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and senior government officials.