The government is drawing up a plan to build six lakh homes in rural areas over the next three years, Housing Minister V Somanna said Tuesday.
“We’re coming up with this plan through the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Ltd (RGHCL),” Somanna told a news conference. “The Revenue department has already handed over to us 4,551 acres of land, excluding Bengaluru, which we want to use for rural housing,” he added. The chief minister has directed the Finance department to release the funds required.
Going forward, the government will make Aadhaar and BPL cards mandatory for beneficiaries.
Somanna said he had unearthed a scam in his department where funds meant for information, education and communication (IEC) were misused.
“In 2016 and 2017, Rs 2.5 crore was given to nonprofits that were engaged to create awareness among the public. But it turns out that no awareness was done and the funds were pocketed,” he said.
Published 14 January 2020, 20:28 IST