Jharkhand Government to Construct 1,72,588 Dwelling Units under PM Housing Scheme-Rural

RANCHI, June 24:  Setting a target to build five lakh houses by 2022, Jharkhand government will construct a total 1,72,588 dwelling units under the Prime Minister Housing scheme-rural in 2016/17.

To construct houses in this fiscal, Rs 1,30,000 for Maoist-affected and Rs 1,20,000 for non-Naxal-hit rural areas would be released, an official release quoting Principal Secretary, Rural Development Department, N N Sinha said here.

A workshop has been convened on July 2 in this connection with people connected with housing construction being invited and suggestions by specialists were invited for better construction.

In all, 17 designs for housing were prepared for different geographical areas, the release said.

The beneficiaries would be selected on the basis of socio-economic survey, 2011, Sinha said adding, the final phase of selection would be done through the Gram Sabha.

The beneficiaries could also appeal to a committee headed by deputy development commissioner if they were not satisfied with the Gram Sabha decision.

Earlier the scheme was known as Indira Awas, for which Rs 70,000 used to be allotted for plain areas and Rs 75,000 for hilly and Naxal-affected areas, the release said.

Under the scheme, the beneficiaries could build their house as per their wish and could also take loan from bank if they wanted to increase the underlined 25 square metre area, and the rural development department was in touch with state level bankers committee, Sinha said.

The beneficiaries would also get grant of Rs 15,000 wages from MG-NREGA and Rs 12,000 for toilet construction from the Drinking and Sanitation department.

They would also get smoke-proof stove and gas cylinder connection and electricity through solar energy.

Under the skill development mission, the department would train 100 masons this fiscal, the release added.

-PTI