The state government’s major housing program, the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, was inaugurated in Bhawanipatna on Sunday by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Pucca houses will be approved for all eligible households excluded from current housing programs, victims of natural or man-made disasters, households uprooted by development projects, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) who are the primary wage earners in the family, and beneficiaries of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).

On the day of the scheme’s introduction, Majhi gave work orders to ten recipients on stage, and 60,000 work orders were given across the state. Additionally, the Chief Minister announced Kalahandi district development projects totaling Rs 617.51 crore. While the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 393.85 crore was laid, projects worth Rs 223.66 crore were inaugurated.

Poor individuals have struggled to get housing since the 1970s. Majhi addressed the gathering and said that everyone will now have their own pucca home. Under the new plan, the government would provide homes to the most vulnerable and impoverished, he added. According to the Chief Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for both rural and urban regions in 2018 and promised to offer pucca dwellings to everyone in need. The program is now being carried out.

“In Odisha, we have launched the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana to further expedite this goal. This would guarantee a pucca home for everyone,” Majhi said. He said that the program would assist the most vulnerable and impoverished members of society. Priority under the program will be given to the families of people with disabilities, widows, those afflicted with life-threatening illnesses like cancer, families of martyrs, homeless people, and those who lost their houses due to natural catastrophes or elephant attacks.

According to him, this program is also available to athletes competing at the national and international levels as well as beneficiaries of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The definitions of “family” and “pucca ghar” have also been streamlined for the project in order to shelter more people, Majhi added.

Under the housing project, the State government has set a goal to construct over 5 lakh homes over the next three years. A budget of Rs 2,600 crore has been set aside for the project this fiscal year, with an additional Rs 7,550 crore to be spent over the next three years.

Each recipient would get Rs 1.20 lakh under the new program, and in conjunction with existing schemes, the beneficiaries will also receive a variety of supplementary benefits. The Chief Minister provided updates on the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) program, stating that over 23 lakh homes have been built in the State under the Central program and that an additional 4 lakh homes are now being built. Additionally, since the survey’s launch on January 24 of this year, over 26 lakh individuals have been added to the list of those eligible to get housing under the program, he said.