Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday granted land patta (ownership certificates) to over 65,000 slum dwellers in five municipal corporation areas of the state under the Jaga Mission scheme.
Addressing the gatherings at the Kalinga Stadium, Patnaik described the day as historic for the poor people of the state and said the Jaga Mission has given a new identity to the poor people who have no houses in the cities.
The slum dwellers of – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, and Rourkela municipal corporations received the land patta at an event held at the Kalinga Stadium here. The Chief Minister said the scheme to distribute land pattas to the slum dwellers would continue till all the poor people in the slums receive the land ownership certificate.
The beneficiaries, he said, would also receive financial assistance along with the land patta for constructing their houses and will be provided with all other basic amenities like water, electricity and road communication.
Patnaik said all the slums in the state will be converted into “Biju Adarsha Colonies” adding that so far more than one thousand ‘Biju Adarsha Colonies’ have already been established in the state.
He also announced that the second phase of the distribution of land patta will be held in October for poor people in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation areas.
The Chief Minister said Odisha is the only state in the country that has provided land rights to the slum dwellers under the Jaga Mission scheme. The scheme which was launched in 2018 in the state had so far provided land ownership rights to 2.40 lakh poor families residing in the slums.
This apart, Patnaik said, nearly 40,000 families have been provided with assistance for construction of their houses. To date, he said 1,010 slums spread over 68 municipalities in the state have been converted into ‘Biju Adarsha Colonies’.
The Chief Minister thanked the Tata Steel Foundation for assisting the state government in executing the Jaga Mission which he said has already drawn the attention of the whole world.
Patnaik dedicated all the 1,010 Biju Adarsha Colonies on the occasion and felicitated Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Khurda, Koraput and Jajpur municipalities for their commendable work in establishing the Biju Adarsha Colonies.
He also felicitated the team members of Jaga Mission programme for receiving the UN World Habitat Award 2023.
The Chief Minister also felicitated Chikiti, Boudh, Dhenkanal and Kesinga for establishing new colonies. State Urban Development Minister Usha Devi, Chief Secretary PK Jena and 5 T Secretary VK Pandian besides several senior officials attended the programme.
UNI