Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the main difference between housing schemes conceived for the poor after Independence and in the past six years was the transparency and decentralization of decision-making powers in it. At the same time, it strengthened the rural economy and the empowerment of women and also instilled a sense of personal attachment in the beneficiaries with their built houses.
The Prime Minister was addressing the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) (Rural) in Madhya Pradesh via a live webcast on the occasion of the ‘grih pravesh’ (formal entry) of 1.75 thousand beneficiaries rupees of houses built in 12,000 Madhya Pradesh villages under the scheme.
The PM interacted with three beneficiaries also during the program, each selected from the districts of Dhar, Singrauli and Gwalior.
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Also attending the program were Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia, and officials from the department of rural development and panchayat raj, including additional chief secretary Manoj Shrivastava.
The prime minister said that “housing plans for the poor were also conceived earlier even from the first decade of Independence. There were some additions and the names of the schemes kept changing every 10 to 15 years, but the goal of providing houses and a decent life to millions of poor people could never be met. ”
He said: “Previously, there was a lot of government interference in that. Those who were supposed to live in these houses did not participate in any part of the process. Not only this, but there was also a lack of transparency in the previous schemes and there were irregularities of different kinds. That is why the quality of those houses was very bad. In addition to this, the beneficiaries of the scheme had to carry out rounds of government offices for basic facilities such as water, electricity, etc. The result of all this was that the beneficiaries of such housing schemes did not voluntarily move into the houses, ”said the PM.
He added, “When we started work in 2014, the old schemes were first improved based on studies of past experiences. Then Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was presented with a whole new thought. In this, transparency is prioritized and a scientific and transparent system is put in place from the selection of beneficiaries to the construction of houses. Before, the poor used to run after the government to obtain benefits from various schemes, but now the government has to approach people, identify them and provide them with facilities ”.
The prime minister said: “Preference is given to locally available materials. Even the design of the houses is decided based on the needs of the people and the locally prevailing style of construction. Each level of construction is supervised with total transparency ”.
He said that now a beneficiary was not only getting a house but also other facilities under various schemes such as a toilet under Swachh Bharat, LPG connection under Ujjawala Yojna, electricity connection under Saubhagya Yojna, Ujala Yojna LED bulbs, water connection. , etc., Everything with the house.
He said it was interesting to note that the work under the scheme was done effectively even during the Covid-19 period. In total, 18 lakh houses were built across the country during this period under the PMAY scheme. Also, building a house under the scheme used to take around 125 days on average to complete, but during the crown period, a house was built in just 45 to 60 days. This could be possible thanks to the contribution of migrant workers who returned home during the Covid-19 period.
The Prime Minister said: “Under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojna, construction works worth Rs 23 billion were carried out across the country. While the houses were being built (under the PMAY (Rural) scheme), works were carried out at high speed regarding the water supply to the houses, the construction of the Anganwadi and panchayat buildings, the construction of sheds for livestock, ponds, wells, rural roads and other jobs associated with Rural development. This benefited in two ways: first, thousands upon thousands of migrant workers returning home from cities were employed, and second, it led to the sale of bricks, cement, sand and other construction materials. In a way, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojna proved to be a great support in strengthening the rural economy. The scheme arose largely from the workforce at PMAY ”.
The PMAY, she said, not only offered employment to people but also strengthened the empowerment of women, since the registration of said house was made in the name of a woman or her name was joined with that of another person. Now there was an opportunity for the masons to improve their income and feel empowered.
The prime minister said that after having implemented infrastructure like electricity, roads, toilets, etc., in five years until 2019 in rural areas, now the government’s effort was to strengthen the villages with modern facilities. On August 15, the government resolved to install fiber optics in up to 6 lakh villages in 1,000 days. In around 1,250 villages 15,000 WiFi access points and some 19,000 fiber optic connections were provided. Therefore, in the coming time, the villages will not only have fast internet access for students, youth and others, but will be an access point for various activities, including businesses.
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