Punjab launches land scheme for farmers under Maryam Nawaz

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday unveiled a new land-distribution programme aimed at landless farmers, opening a digital portal for what the provincial government presented as a major rural uplift initiative. The plan, launched in Punjab, links agricultural land access with financial support and official monitoring, and is being promoted as an effort to expand cultivation while giving unemployed rural residents a direct economic opportunity.

At the centre of the initiative is the Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar scheme, under which agricultural land worth about Rs160 billion is to be allocated to landless people across the province. Officials say the objective is not only to support poor rural households but also to raise farm productivity and widen the economic base in areas where livelihoods still depend heavily on agriculture. By placing land in the hands of people who can cultivate it, the government is trying to turn welfare support into a production-focused programme.

According to the official briefing presented at the launch, land will be selected on the basis of water availability and soil fertility so that plots are usable rather than merely symbolic. The government said 13,812 agricultural plots in different districts would benefit 88,780 families, while 16,685 plots in Cholistan would benefit 101,111 families. Officials also said each selected applicant would receive land valued at roughly Rs2.5 million to Rs4 million, making the package one of the most ambitious land-linked support measures announced by the province in recent months.

The support plan goes beyond land allotment alone. Authorities said successful applicants would also receive a one-time development grant ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs250,000 per acre to help them begin cultivation and absorb the early costs that often prevent poor farmers from starting work on newly assigned land. The plots will be offered on a 10-year lease, while officials identified large areas in districts and Cholistan after taking irrigation and fertility conditions into account. The message from the government is that access to land must be matched by a practical path to using it.

A clear timetable has also been laid out. Online applications are to be submitted from May 2 to May 18, with an appeal window before deputy commissioners running from June 1 to June 8. The final list of successful applicants is expected on June 19, and land distribution is scheduled to start from June 30. In cases where more than one person applies for the same plot, officials said allocation will be decided through balloting, an attempt to reduce disputes and keep the process visibly rule-based.

The government has also attached strict conditions to the scheme. The land must be used only for agricultural purposes, and permanent construction will not be allowed on the allocated plots. Each parcel is to be monitored by an agriculture officer and an internee, while a committee made up of assistant commissioners and agriculture department officials will carry out inspections twice a year. Farmers, however, will be free to choose which crops they want to grow, giving them flexibility within the broader rules of the programme.

The announcement matters because landlessness remains one of the central barriers to rural mobility in much of Punjab. Many families depend on seasonal labour, informal tenancy or unstable farm work without owning or controlling the land they cultivate. In that setting, a state-backed lease programme can be politically attractive and socially significant because it addresses a structural problem rather than offering short-term cash relief alone. The digital portal also suggests an effort to manage applications more systematically and reduce the opaque, paper-driven practices that often draw criticism in public schemes.

For Punjab, the policy could become a test case for whether agricultural support can be tied directly to productivity, income generation and rural employment. If the scheme is implemented as announced, it may bring additional land under cultivation, support small-scale farming activity and create more stable earning options in poor communities. For Pakistan more broadly, any successful expansion in agricultural output from the country's largest province would matter for food supply, rural demand and social stability. But much will depend on fair selection, field-level supervision, irrigation readiness and timely release of support funds.

The next phase will now be watched closely by farmers, local administrators and political rivals alike. Interest is likely to be high once the application window opens, and that means transparency in selection will be as important as the headline value of the land being offered. The real judgment on the scheme will come after allotment begins: whether the plots reach genuine landless households, whether cultivation actually starts on schedule, and whether this high-profile launch turns into a durable rural reform rather than a short-lived announcement.