Bhubaneswar: In a New Year gift for the poor, the Odisha government on Friday announced that pucca houses will be handed over to around ten lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) this month.
Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik told reporters that the beneficiaries will receive houses under the Centre’s flagship housing scheme as part of the New Year initiative to improve the living conditions of people belonging to economically weaker
sections in the state.
Of the around 37 lakh applications received so far for PMAY houses, over 34 lakh beneficiaries have already been shortlisted after verification and the consolidated list has been sent to the Union government for approval, he said.
Stating that the state government is working in close coordination with the Centre to expedite the process, the Minister said once the approval is obtained, the beneficiaries will be able to get financial assistance for the construction of pucca houses under the Centre’s flagship scheme.
Notably, PMAY seeks to provide affordable housing for low- and middle-income groups as well as slum dwellers. The scheme has two components—PMAY (Urban) for the urban poor, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and PMAY (Gramin) for rural beneficiaries, administered by the Ministry of Rural Development.