Sharjah approves Dh370m in housing grants and loans for Emiratis

Sharjah Executive Council has endorsed loans for second group of 519 eligible Emiratis

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has issued directives unlocking millions in housing loans and grants for Emiratis. Photo: Wam

Housing loans and grants worth more than Dh370.5 million have been approved for hundreds of Emiratis in Sharjah, following directives from Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.

Sharjah Executive Council endorsed the loans for a second group of 519 eligible UAE citizens, 330 of whom live in the city of Sharjah, 121 in the Eastern region and 68 in the central region of the emirate.

Khalifa Musabah Al Tunaiji, head of Sharjah Housing Programme, told Sharjah's state-run radio station on Tuesday that the second group included widows, divorced women and orphans.

The first batch of housing grants worth Dh357m, approved by the council in March, went to 528 Emiratis.

“In the past six months, only Sharjah Executive Council approved 1,047 applications, with a total value of Dh727m,” Dr Al Tunaiji told the Sharjah radio programme Al Khat Al Mubasher, or The Direct Line.

He said a third batch would be announced soon, taking the amount dedicated to housing support in Sharjah up to Dh1 billion.

Dr Al Tunaiji said the programme, which began in 2012, has processed more than 10,000 housing applications worth Dh7.8bn.

“[Sheikh Dr Sultan] has a system that provides accurate statistics about Emiratis in Sharjah. For example, it includes information about 1,400 new marriage contracts in the emirate, which means new families are being formed,” he said.

He added that Dh160 million in temporary housing has been provided for Emiratis in the past 10 years.

After an expansion of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme was announced last May, the Ruler of Sharjah donated the emirate's share of federal housing loans to the Northern Emirates to ensure Emirati families are well cared for.

“We have the Sharjah Housing Programme, which began in 2012, and it's enough,” Sheikh Dr Sultan told the state-run radio station at the time.

Ruler of Sharjah donates original manuscripts to Al Qasimia University — in pictures

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, donated a set of original manuscripts to Al Qasimia University. Photo: Sharjah Government Media Bureau

The donation is the seventh set of manuscripts donated by Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi. Photo: Sharjah Government Media Bureau

The donation will be added to the inventory of Islamic Manuscripts House, which is based at the university. Photo: Sharjah Government Media Bureau

The batch contained 249 original manuscripts on a wide range of subjects. Photo: Sharjah Government Media Bureau