Odisha CM launches Antyodaya Gruha Jojana

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday launched Antyodaya Gruha Jojana (AGJ), a flagship housing scheme of state government, at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.

Under the scheme, all eligible households left out from the ongoing housing schemes, victims of natural /man-made calamities, households displaced due to development projects, Person with Disabilities (PwD) who is the main earning member of the family and FRA (forest rights act) beneficiaries will be sanctioned pucca houses.

Majhi distributed work orders to 10 beneficiaries at the stage while a total of 60,000 work orders were issued across the state on the launching day of the scheme.

The CM also launched developmental projects worth Rs 617.51 crore for Kalahandi district. Projects worth Rs 223.66 crore were inaugurated while the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 393.85 crore were laid.

Since the 1970s till today, poor people have been struggling to get a house. Now, everyone will have their pucca house, Majhi said while addressing the event.

The government will provide houses to the poorest and most helpless people under the new scheme, he said.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in 2018 to provide pucca houses to every needy person and launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for rural and urban areas, which is being implemented.

"To further accelerate this mission, we have started the Antyodaya Gruha Jojana in Odisha. Through this, a pucca house for everyone can be ensured," Majhi said.

He further said that the poor and most helpless people in the society will benefit from the scheme. The families of persons with disabilities, widows, those who are suffering from serious diseases like cancer, families of martyrs, homeless persons, and those who lost their homes in natural disasters and elephant attacks will be given priority under the scheme.

Forest Rights Act (FRA) beneficiaries along with national and international level sportspersons can also avail benefit from this scheme, he said.

In order to provide houses to more people, the definition of 'family' and 'pucca ghar' has also been simplified for the scheme. The definition of a family has also been simplified, Majhi stated.

The state government has set a target to build more than 5 lakh houses in the next 3 years under the housing scheme. This financial year, a budget of Rs 2,600 crore has been allocated for the scheme, while Rs 7,550 crore will be spent in the next three years.

Under the new scheme, each beneficiary will be given Rs 1.20 lakh and various auxiliary facilities will be provided to the beneficiaries in convergence with other schemes.

Giving information about the progress made in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), the chief minister said that more than 23 lakh houses have been constructed in the state under the central scheme while another 4 lakh houses are under construction.

Besides, a survey has started from January 24 this year and more than 26 lakh people have been listed for providing houses under the scheme so far, he said.