VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC government is likely to go for a Rs 5,000-crore loan to fulfil its promise of sanctioning houses for the poor by Ugadi, according to sources. It is learnt that the finance department has moved a file related to obtaining a loan of Rs 5,000 crore from the LIC Housing Finance Ltd.Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy recently announced houses for the poor in urban and rural areas. He asked officials to identify beneficiaries and the land required for the scheme.
Officials said the number of eligible beneficiaries has crossed the 20-lakh mark and more may be added to the list in the coming days. The government needs approximately 40,000 acres in urban and rural areas for the scheme. At least 40 per cent of land is required for developing infrastructure facilities. The government intends to provide 70 square yards of land to each beneficiary and hand over the pattas on the occasion of Ugadi next year. Later, it will also construct house on the plots for the beneficiaries.
Officials said more than 19,000 acres government land is available in rural areas while another 8,000 acres will be purchased. The situation in urban areas, however, is different with only 2,500-odd government land available as against over 11,000 acres required for the purpose.
This means the government will have to spend a substantial sum on purchasing land in urban areas, officials said, adding that given the poor financial condition, it has no other means to generate funds on its own than to go for loans.For this, the government may have to raise anywhere between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 crore as loan from housing financial institutions.
New officer to probe TTD gold coins’ theft case
The State government on Monday appointed J Satyanarayana, a retired IPS officer, as the commissioner of inquiry in place of K Sahadev Reddy, to inquire into the charges framed against K Venkatachalapathi, assistant/shroff (retired) and 16 others for misappropriation of 300 five-gram gold coins in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
The new commissioner of inquiry was asked to submit his report within three months’ time. The missing of gold coins from the TTD treasury (Bokkasam) was reported in June 2006. After a series of inquiries, the government in 2018, appointed Sahadeva Reddy as CoI. Charges were framed against the 17 accused.