Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has increased the number of Emiratis who can apply for housing aid by 50 per cent.
The announcement means that an additional 500 families will be eligible to apply for assistance each year.
The cap was 1,000 applications per year, but will now be increased to 1,500 by the Sharjah Housing Programme.
It comes after the Sharjah Consensus 2022 reported a 22 per cent growth in the emirate's population to 1.8 million.
The programme was launched in 2012 and has since spent Dh8.9 billion ($2.4 billion) to aid Emiratis, benefitting 10,879 families.
This figure includes more than Dh5 billion in housing grants and Dh3.4 billion in housing loans.
Khalifa Al Tunaiji, head of the programme, said that 6,400 applications for aid have been approved in Sharjah City and Al Hamiryah, 3,155 in the eastern region and 1,271 in the central region.
As part of the programme, construction of residential complexes in the Muhadhab suburb of Al Quteena is under way, he said.
Al Quteena 1 will have 366 housing units, while Al Quteena 3 and Al Quteena 5 will have 460 and 214 units respectively.
The project will take two years.
In Kalba, 151 units in Al Saf residential complex have been completed and handed over to Emirati families.
Al Saf, which is in its second phase and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will provide 273 units.
Construction is set to start on several complexes in Kalba, Khor Fakkan and Dibba Al Hisn, offering a further 825 units.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
