Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced that the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) would be provided with sand free of cost for house construction under the scheme.
The state government would provide up to two tractor-loads of sand without any charges to PMAY beneficiaries, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.
The beneficiaries would also be issued permits to avail sand at an affordable rate across the state, he said, adding that the move aims at reducing the construction cost and financial burden for the beneficiaries under the Centre’s flagship housing scheme.
The Minister said that the proposal was discussed at length in the state Cabinet meeting held on Friday.
Referring to illegal sand mining in different parts of the state, Pujari said that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will soon be introduced to check such operations.
As per the proposed SOP, no heavy vehicle will be allowed to enter riverbeds to extract sand. Strict action will be taken against illegal sand miners and those indulging in attacks on officials, the Minister said, referring to a recent attack on a senior revenue official by sand mafia in Mayurbhanj.
While the administration is trying to stop illegal sand mining, the recent attack at Kaptipada reflects the audacity of the sand mafia and stringent action would be taken against them, he added.