The chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has signed off on a trial scheme to upgrade 120 villages into model settlements, and a law called Khushhal Dehat Act 2026 will be brought in across the province. The decision came at a special meeting in Lahore on Tuesday, October 20, where she received a detailed briefing on how rural areas could be transformed. She framed the move as a way to extend development beyond big cities to the countryside.
Who will run the village committees
Each of the 120 villages will get a village committee, formed after consultation with local public representatives. An assistant commissioner, a senior district administration officer, will head each committee, and the deputy commissioner, the district's top administrator, will supervise all of them. Every committee will have eight members, with half drawn from public representatives and half from government.
The government side is set to include the local head teacher, the union council secretary, and a doctor from a Basic Health Unit (a small government clinic in a rural area) or a Maryam Nawaz Health Clinic. Other relevant officials may also join.
What the plan covers
The briefing said every village in the scheme would be provided with sewer lines, drains and paved lanes. Nawaz directed the authorities to set up the committees without delay and to present a full plan for the scheme. She also stressed that work should be of good quality and open to scrutiny.
Official view and local role
Nawaz said development could no longer stay confined to large cities and that its benefits should reach every village. She said her resolve to see Punjab's villages become examples for others was firm, and that the day was not far off.
Residents will be consulted on how projects are planned and carried out, so the work reflects what communities need. Members of the provincial assembly, the elected lawmakers of Punjab's legislature, and party ticket-holders will act as custodians of projects in their own villages.
What happens next
The announcement did not give funding figures, completion dates or the names of the 120 villages. The next steps are the formation of committees and the drafting of a detailed plan. How the Khushhal Dehat Act 2026 will operate in practice has yet to be spelled out publicly.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab hukumat ne 120 gaanv ko model gaanv banane ka pilot project manzoor kiya hai aur Khushhal Dehat Act 2026 bhi soobe mein laaya jaye ga. Har gaanv mein committee banay gi jis mein awam ke numainday aur sarkari afsar shamil hon ge. Gaanv walon ko sewerage, nikasi aur pakki galiyon ki sahulat milne ka wada kiya gaya hai. Abhi fund aur kaam ki muddat ka elaan nahi hua, is liye asar ka pata kaam shuru hone ke baad chalega.
