BENGALURU: In all, 18.78 lakh people without houses and 6.61 lakh without residential sites will get relief as the Union government has agreed to synchronise the Housing Department data from Karnataka. The Central government had kept the project pending as the data was not uploaded on Awas-plus software.
Housing Minister V Somanna has already written to all MLAs to identify beneficiaries in their respective Assembly constituencies and send the list by January 31. Under the programme, each Assembly constituency will get 1,500-2500 houses. The government aims to construct 5 lakh houses over the next year.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G), which is aimed at rural areas, beneficiaries will get Rs 1.2 lakh. The state government will share 60 per cent of the cost, while the rest will be borne by the Union government. Apart from Rs 1.2 lakh, Rs 30,000 will be given to beneficiaries to construct a toilet and another Rs 10,000 under MNREGA. The money will be directly credited into the accounts of beneficiaries.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and termed it a Sankranti gift for the people of the state. He tweeted, “Thank you for approval of synchronisation of 18,78,671 houseless and 6,61,535 site-less households for poor rural people of Karnataka in Awaas under PMAY-G, which were long pending.”
Replying, Modi tweeted, “Makar Sankranti wishes to my sisters and brothers of Karnataka, a state which makes unprecedented contributions to national progress. The Centre and State Government will keep working for the empowerment of the people of the state. Later responding to Modi’s tweet, thanked Modi and said his words of appreciation and assurance truly fuel his government’s efforts to make even greater contributions to national progress.”
Housing Department Managing Director Basavaraj said the state conducted a survey in 2018-19 and identified over 18 lakh families without houses. “We had taken their data and uploaded it on software developed by the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation, while the Union Government wanted it on Awas-Plus software. Now that they have given the approval for synchronisation, money will be released to beneficiaries in a phased manner. Every year, a certain number of beneficiaries will get the money,” he explained.