Bhubaneswar: The Central government has approved an additional five lakh houses for Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) initiative, taking the total number of houses sanctioned for the state to five lakh.
Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday announced the additional allocation during a programme in Balangir.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi distributed sanction letters to the beneficiaries.
Union Minister Chouhan said the number of houses allocated previously was inadequate to meet the needs of eligible families in Odisha. Hence, the Centre has increased the allocation by five lakh houses.
The scheme’s objective is to provide pucca houses to families living in kutcha houses or inadequate housing conditions.
The Union government was committed to ensuring that no poor family in Odisha was deprived of a home, Chouhan stated.
“More houses would be sanctioned for Odisha in the coming years. Every village in the state would be connected through all-weather pucca roads,” Chouhan said.
Chief Minister Majhi said more than 41 lakh pucca houses had been completed in Odisha under various rural housing schemes since the 2014-15 financial year, adding that over 5.66 lakh of these were completed in the last two years.
“Development of a prosperous Odisha begins with its villages. Our government is committed to ensuring that every family has a secure pucca house,” the Chief Minister said.
CM launches projects worth Rs 911 crore in Balangir
Besides the housing programme, CM Majhi inaugurated and laid foundation stone for 248 development projects worth approximately Rs 911 crore for Balangir district.
The projects cover health infrastructure, drinking water supply, irrigation, Anganwadi centres, additional classrooms, road improvement and hostels, among other sectors.
Deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo stressed the importance of agri-tourism and installation of agro-solar panels to improve productivity and power generation. He said efforts will be made to link PMAY-G with the PM Surya Ghar Yojana to ensure installation of solar panels on house rooftops.