The total number of houses sanctioned for the state under the rural housing scheme has risen to five lakh.
The Central government has approved an additional one lakh houses for Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), according to Odisha Bytes. Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the new allocation during a programme in Balangir on Saturday.
The increase brings the total number of houses sanctioned for the state under the scheme to five lakh. Mr Chouhan stated that the previous allocation was insufficient to meet the requirements of eligible families in Odisha and said the Centre is committed to ensuring no poor family is deprived of a home.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who distributed sanction letters to beneficiaries at the event, said that over 41 lakh pucca houses have been completed in the state under various rural housing schemes since the 2014-15 financial year. He noted that 5.66 lakh of these were finished in the last two years.
During the same event, Mr Majhi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 248 development projects in Balangir district valued at approximately Rs 911 crore. These projects cover sectors including irrigation, health infrastructure, drinking water, roads, and education.
Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said efforts would be made to link PMAY-G with the PM Surya Ghar Yojana to facilitate the installation of solar panels on rooftops. Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik noted that incentives of Rs 35,000 and Rs 20,000 have been provided to beneficiaries for completing houses within five and seven months respectively.
