MPs propose affordable ‘land and loan' payment scheme for Bahrainis earning less than BD800
A push to hand low-income Bahrainis plots and loans has been launched in Parliament, as MPs warned that thousands earning under BD800 are slipping through the cracks despite royal orders to expand housing.
Led by MP Hanan Mohammed Fardan and backed by four others, the proposal seeks to introduce a new service called 'Land with Loan', aimed at families whose incomes fall between BD400 and BD800 a month.
Applicants would be ranked by the date of their original housing request.
'In light of the Royal Directives to provide 50,000 housing units to strengthen social stability and housing fairness, it is regrettable that the schemes introduced in recent years, particularly Mazaya, Tas'heel, and Tas'heel Plus, do not cover a wide number of citizens earning less than BD800,' said MP Fardan.
She added: 'Limiting these programmes to a certain group clashes with the Constitution and breaches Clause (w) of Article Nine, which makes clear that the State must work to provide housing for citizens with limited income.'
Service
The service would give families land alongside a suitable loan, helping those who cannot otherwise afford to benefit from government schemes.
Fardan said it would also help the Housing Ministry reach its goal of meeting the royal pledge to build 50,000 units.
She argued that setting up 'Land with Loan' would help clear the backlog of old applications and make better use of the vacant plots already in the Ministry's hands, particularly in the newly built towns where construction can start without delay.
'Introducing this service would not only ease the burden of delayed applications but also allow the Ministry to move its resources around with more fairness and sense,' she said.
The lawmaker described the proposal as a fair and proper answer to 'the genuine needs of a wide group of citizens', adding that it would help push Bahrain's housing efforts in a steadier, more lasting direction.
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