| Development Desk | June 2026 | 4 min read |
| ⚡ QUICK TAKEAWAYS |
| • 485 villages across Punjab are being developed under the model villages programme, targeting four million residents. |
| • An additional Rs39 billion is under consideration for the next phase, on top of current first-phase funding. |
| • Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique has set December 2026 as the completion deadline for the first phase. |
| • Infrastructure works include paved streets, restored ponds, children’s parks, streetlights, and targeted water supply schemes. |
| • CM Maryam Nawaz has directed expansion of the programme to 7,500 villages in future phases. |
Punjab is pressing ahead with one of its most ambitious rural development programmes, with officials reviewing a fresh Rs39 billion allocation to fund the next phase of the model villages initiative. The first phase, targeting 485 villages across all ten divisions of the province, is now being pushed toward a December 2026 completion deadline — with an eventual ambition to reach 7,500 villages across the province.
| 485
Villages — Phase 1 across 10 divisions |
4 Million
Beneficiaries first phase target |
7,500
Villages — Long Term CM Maryam’s directive |
What the Programme Delivers
Under the model villages programme, selected rural settlements are to receive a package of municipal upgrades that have historically been available only in urban areas. Every street in participating villages will be paved. Traditional ponds — a feature of Punjab’s rural landscape that have fallen into disrepair across many areas — are to be restored. Children’s parks and functional streetlighting are also included in the standard works package.
Water supply schemes are part of the programme but come with a caveat introduced at the Civil Secretariat meeting: Minister Zeeshan Rafique instructed that water infrastructure should only be included in villages that actually face water shortages. The instruction reflects a concern about wasteful spending — installing water schemes in areas that do not need them would inflate costs without delivering commensurate benefit. Similarly, the minister directed officials not to break already paved streets unnecessarily during implementation.
| 🏛️ PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
The programme operates under the brand name Maryam Nawaz Ka Sohna Punjab (Maryam Nawaz’s Beautiful Punjab), the flagship rural development initiative of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company is the implementing body responsible for on-the-ground progress and briefing senior officials. |
Division-Wise Village Breakdown
| Division | Villages Included | Share of Programme |
| Multan | 63 | 13.0% |
| Rawalpindi | 58 | 12.0% |
| Gujranwala | 55 | 11.3% |
| Gujrat | 51 | 10.5% |
| Lahore | 50 | 10.3% |
| Sahiwal | 44 | 9.1% |
| Sargodha | 41 | 8.5% |
| DG Khan | 39 | 8.0% |
| Faisalabad | 36 | 7.4% |
| Bahawalpur | 48 | 9.9% |
| TOTAL | 485 | 100% |
The Rs39 Billion Next-Phase Proposal
Officials are currently reviewing an additional allocation of Rs39 billion for the programme’s subsequent phases. This figure is under consideration and has not yet been formally approved. The review reflects a strategic decision to plan the next phase before the first is complete — allowing lessons from implementation to inform how resources are deployed across a larger number of villages.
Minister Rafique specifically directed that planning for future phases draw on the experience and challenges of the first phase. This is a recognition that large-scale rural infrastructure programmes in Pakistan have historically suffered from poor sequencing, with later phases repeating mistakes from earlier ones. Building a feedback loop between the first and subsequent phases is intended to prevent that pattern.
Long-Term Vision: 7,500 Villages
The scale ambition behind the programme is significant. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed that the model villages initiative ultimately expand to cover 7,500 villages across Punjab — roughly fifteen times the coverage of the current first phase. Punjab has approximately 25,000 villages, meaning a 7,500-village programme would bring modern municipal services to nearly a third of the province’s rural settlements.
The jump from 485 to 7,500 villages will require sustained multi-year funding commitments, institutional capacity at the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company, and coordination across all provincial divisions. The December 2026 deadline for the first phase serves as the initial proof of concept — if 485 villages can be delivered on time and to specification, the case for scaling becomes considerably stronger.
| 📊 DIVISION ALLOCATION NOTE
The distribution across divisions is broadly proportional to rural population but shows some variation. Multan leads with 63 villages, while Faisalabad — one of Punjab’s most industrialised divisions — has the lowest allocation at 36. Rawalpindi’s 58 reflects both population size and the government’s focus on peri-urban rural areas around the capital region. |
Disclaimer: This article is based on official statements from the Punjab Local Government Department and related reporting. The Rs39 billion additional allocation is under review and has not yet been formally approved. Project timelines and village counts are subject to revision.
