Bhubaneswar: The financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) will be increased by Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,80,000 from the existing Rs 1,20,000, Odisha Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department Minister Rabi Narayan Naik stated here Monday. The minister added that a guideline in this regard will be issued soon. “A financial assistance of Rs 1.2 lakh was provided to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. This will be increased to Rs 1.8 lakh. A notification in this regard will be released soon. If MGNREGA is included, the beneficiaries will get around Rs 2 lakh,” Naik stated.
“Similarly, beneficiaries were earlier being provided with Rs 12,000 for construction of toilets. Now, that amount will be increased to Rs 20,000. “Our goal is that every residence in the state including those in remote rural areas will be a model house with a proper toilet and clean drinking water facility,” Naik added. The minister informed that the state government will soon launch the ‘Odisha Antyodaya Gruha Yojana’.
Under this scheme houses which suffer damages due to fire accidents, elephant attacks and other natural disasters will be provided financial assistance for repair work, Naik informed. Naik was asked to comment on the ‘Mo Ghara’ scheme launched by the previous BJD government. “The housing scheme of the previous BJD government was a political stunt and no one has benefitted from the scheme. People have no interest in the scheme,” Naik stated.
“We on the other really want the living conditions to improve in Odisha. It is one of the main reasons why the PMAY fund has been hiked,” the minister added. The minister also shared details about the roadmap prepared for the development of 500 tribal villages in Odisha. “We will try to safeguard their traditions and ensure proper road connectivity. There will also be provisions for providing clean drinking water and including the youth of the tribal communities to the mainstream by providing them with necessary training to earn money,” Naik informed.