HYDERABAD: Asserting that the state government will release funds for the Indiramma housing scheme through a green channel despite facing financial constraints, Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Saturday stated that the process of selecting beneficiaries would commence on November 5 and be completed by the end of the month.
The minister also mentioned that the state government would seek assistance from the Union government’s housing scheme in the best interest of the people and would not shy away from inviting Union ministers to the inaugural program. He noted that they had agreed to install a specification at each house indicating that it was built with Union government assistance.
Srinivasa Reddy explained that the state government would empower Grama Sabhas to identify beneficiaries, prioritizing the “poorest of the poor.”
During an informal conversation with reporters at the Secretariat, Srinivasa Reddy said that the state government would provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the woman head of the family, the beneficiary, in four phases via DBT mode. He stated that the government would select 3,500 beneficiaries from each Assembly constituency in the first phase. These selected beneficiaries would be from different villages based on population. The government plans to release Rs 1 lakh for those who have completed the foundation, Rs 1.25 lakh for slab-level construction, and Rs 1.75 lakh after the completion of the house. “In the first phase, we will assist those who have their own land. In the second phase, we will provide land and Rs 5 lakh for construction,” the minister said.
Stating that the target is to construct 20 lakh houses across the state in the next four years, Srinivasa Reddy mentioned that Rs 26,000 crore would be required to achieve this target, with Rs 7,740 crore already earmarked in the 2024-2025 Budget.
“Indiramma housing scheme alone would be sufficient to bring the Congress back to power in the next elections,” Srinivasa Reddy asserted.
Explaining the criteria for obtaining an Indiramma house, the minister said that the government would conduct a 360-degree inspection using technology and would implement a dedicated system in the form of a mobile application to collect and monitor the beneficiaries. He noted that there would be no cap on the maximum extent of housing, provided the minimum built-up area is not less than 400 sq ft. He added that the government has set up an umbrella organization to monitor the effective and transparent implementation of the housing scheme.