Bhubaneswar: Fulfilling another aspiration of poor people, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today launched Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, the flagship housing scheme for low-income households not yet selected under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.
Since the 70s till today, getting a house has been a big problem for the poor and common people. Even today, many do not have a house to worry about. This problem will be solved and everyone will get a pucca house, Shri Majhi said while addressing a large gathering at the launching event.
The government will provide houses to the poorest and most helpless people under the new scheme.
In his speech, the Chief Minister extended his greetings to everyone on the occasion of Hindu New Year and said that this scheme will provide hope and hope to every family in the villages to live with dignity.
He said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in 2018 to provide pucca houses to everyone. That is why the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is being implemented. “To further strengthen this, we have started the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana in Odisha. Through this, pucca house for everyone can be ensured,” Shri Majhi said.
Today, on the first day, work orders have been issued for construction of 60,000 houses under the new rural housing scheme. The target has been set to build more than 5 lakh houses in the next 3 years. This year, a budget of Rs 2,600 crore has been allocated for the scheme, while Rs 7,550 crore will be spent in the next 3 years.
It is worth noting that very few houses have been built under the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana in 10 years.
Under the new scheme, each beneficiary will be given Rs 1.20 lakh and various auxiliary facilities will be provided to the beneficiaries in convergence with other schemes.
Toilets will be provided from the Swachh Bharat Mission, cooking gas from the Ujjwala Yojana, clean drinking water from the Jal Jeevan Mission, electricity connection from the Saubhagya Yojana, etc. All the necessary facilities for living will be provided to the beneficiaries, he said.
Not only that, under this scheme, the beneficiaries will get paid work as unskilled laborers for 90 to 95 days under the MGNREGA.
The Chief Minister further said that the poorest and most helpless people in the society will benefit from this scheme. Families with disabilities, widows, families suffering from other serious diseases like cancer, families of martyrs, homeless, elephants and families severely affected by natural disasters like floods will be given priority for houses.
In addition, families suffering from chronic diseases like cancer, leprosy, kidney disease, liver cirrhosis, thalassemia or HIV and orphans and destitute will be provided with immediate houses under the scheme. Forest Rights Act beneficiaries, national and international level sportspersons will also benefit from this scheme, he said.
In order to provide houses to more people, the definition of ‘family’ and ‘pucca ghaar’ has also been simplified in this scheme, he stated.
Asbestos, tin and tile roofed houses have been considered as khacha ghaar. RCC roof with only cement added to the walls is being given the status of a brick house.
The definition of a family has also been simplified and the family income in the scheme is understood to include husband, wife, dependent parents and children, he said.
On this occasion, giving information about the progress made in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), the Chief Minister said that more than 23 lakh houses have been constructed in the state under the scheme and 4 lakh houses are under construction. Along with this, the survey has started from January 24 and more than 26 lakh people have been listed for providing houses.
Shri Majhi said that the aim is to provide houses to everyone under various central and state schemes. Along with the Antayoday Griha Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), PM Janman and other government rural housing schemes, the beneficiaries who complete the construction of houses within 4 months of receiving the first installment are also being given an incentive of Rs. 20,000 and if the house is completed within 6 months, an incentive of Rs. 10,000 is also being given.
In the program, he distributed work orders to 10 beneficiaries from different sections.
The CM launched projects worth Rs 617.51 crore for Kalahandi district. Projects worth Rs 223.66 crore were inaugurated while the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 393.85 crore was laid.