Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday gave home entry to two lakh families under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Rural in a state level function organized in Sakti district of Chhattisgarh.
On this occasion, he announced 3.65 lakh additional houses for the state. Chauhan also announced to establish Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Sakti and to extend the deadline of housing survey till October 31 for the eligible beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Bastar division.
In a ceremony organized at village Jetha in Sakti district, Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan symbolically handed over the keys of the houses to the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Rural.
Chauhan said that on the demand of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Sakti MP Kamlesh Jangde, Krishi Vigyan Kendra will be established in Sakti. With this, farmers of the region will benefit from advanced technology, crop diversification and scientific guidance.
He said that the deadline for the survey has been extended till October 31 to include the eligible beneficiaries deprived of housing in Bastar division in the scheme. He said that no eligible poor will be deprived of permanent housing.
Praising the state government for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the Union Rural Development Minister said that more than 1600 houses are being completed every day in Chhattisgarh. He said that the BJP government has fulfilled its resolve to provide permanent roofs to the poor.
Chauhan said that during the previous government, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was affected due to non-availability of state share. The BJP government under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai approved 18 lakh houses in the very first cabinet meeting. With the joint efforts of the Center and the State, more than 11.50 lakh houses have been completed in the last two and a half years.
Chauhan said that Chhattisgarh is no longer just a rice bowl, but is also becoming a major producer of fruits, flowers and vegetables. He said that the pace of development work in the state is fast and Chhattisgarh will soon be included among the leading states of the country.
He observed the exhibition of jackets made from flax stalks and Kosa and Mulberry products by women of self-help groups. He appreciated the skills and entrepreneurship of rural women.
The Union Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, decisive action has been taken against Naxalism.
He said that development activities are now gaining momentum in Naxal affected areas. The purpose of extending the time limit of housing survey in Bastar is to provide the benefits of the scheme to all the eligible families.
Referring to the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chauhan called upon the citizens to light lamps in their homes on September 17 at 7 pm and wish for the healthy and long life of the Prime Minister and the progress of the country.
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai said that the state government is committed to providing permanent roofs to the poor. He expressed his gratitude to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the gifts given to Chhattisgarh.
Sai said that through National Rural Livelihood Mission and Bihaan, till now 13 lakh 85 thousand women have become Lakhpati Didi in the state. Under Mahtari Vandan Yojana, an amount of more than Rs 20 thousand crore has been transferred to the accounts of 70 lakh women.
AI based geo-tag verification of Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin was launched at the ceremony.
Apart from this, ‘Dhar Apar’ and ‘Sughghar Bari’ campaigns, 270 new integrated farming clusters and incubation program ‘Ath Udyamita Ki Aur’ were launched. Lakhpati Didis and best Panchayats who did excellent work were honoured.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Minister in-charge Guru Khushwant Saheb, MP Kamlesh Jangde, District Panchayat President Draupati Kirtan Chandra and a large number of public representatives, Panchayat officials and villagers were present in the program.