Shafaq News- Baghdad

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi on Tuesday instructed the Justice Ministry to speed up the completion of a database covering state-owned and other real estate, his Media Office said.

During a meeting of the Higher Committee for the One Million Residential Plots Project, known as the Watan Initiative, al-Zaidi also directed relevant authorities to propose measures to formalize ownership of housing units built on agricultural land.

Read more: Watan Initiative offers one million free residential plots

Al-Zaidi also ordered the online registration link to be launched as soon as possible next month.

The government said plots would be allocated according to applicants’ place of residence, with priority given to eligible and low-income families while taking population and geographic needs into account.

Ehsan al-Awadi, head of the Higher Steering Committee and director of the Prime Minister’s Office, reviewed progress on the initiative, saying it covers 121 cities across 15 provinces. Procedures have so far been completed for 275,000 residential plots, which are now ready for real estate development.

Al-Awadi said contracting procedures had begun for infrastructure services at the prepared sites, with the first foundation stone expected to be laid in the coming days.

Basra and Karbala authorities said on September 5 that they had completed preparations for 195,000 residential plots under the Watan Initiative. Basra accounted for 135,000 plots and Karbala 60,000, with eligibility limited to Iraqis who do not already own land or property registered in their name.

Read more: Iraq's housing deficit outlasts another government plan