The Andhra Pradesh government launched the housing-sites distribution exercise under the ‘Pedalandariki Illu’ (houses for all the poor) scheme in East Godavari district on Friday. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hoped the housing project will help generate jobs in the construction sector and will be a boost for the state economy.
The scheme is expected to provide low-cost housing for an estimated 30.6 lakh people in the state.
"We will be building not houses but new townships,” said Jagan on Friday, adding that the 17,000 houses being built in the first phase of construction will be self-sufficient villages. The layouts will have basic infrastructures like roads, drainage, drinking water, YSR Janata bazaars, clinics, bus stands, anganwadis, schools, function halls, community halls, parks and other amenities for the public, the CM informed.
The scheme was part of the YSRCP election manifesto. “We promised to build 25 lakh houses but now we will be building 31 lakh houses," the Chief Minister said, addressing a public meeting after unveiling the housing programme at Komaragiri village.
One cent of land in urban areas, 1.5 cents of land in rural areas would be allotted to each beneficiary under the programme and the title deeds would be issued in the name of women.
Full title deeds are not being issued to the beneficiaries now because of impending litigation in the High Court over the programme.
The state government originally wanted to enable the beneficiaries to sell the units in five years but removed the clause following the court’s intervention.
As many as 28.30 lakh of these houses would be built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for which the Centre will release a grant of Rs 1.50 lakh per unit. The Chief Minister said Rs 50,490 crore would be spent on the construction of houses.
He said the house site distribution was a continuous process and no eligible person would be left out, irrespective of their affiliations. He also said that Rs 23,535 crore worth of land is being given away in the form of house sites.
The state government has decided to join it with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP) that would cover another Rs 30,000 per unit in rural areas.
Only in urban local bodies, the state government will spend the Rs 30,000 per unit besides providing sand free of cost for construction. In the first phase, 15.10 lakh houses will be built and the balance will be taken up in the second phase.
The previous Telugu Desam Party government built 2,68,625 housing units under PMAY, which are now being handed over to the beneficiaries. The Jagan Mohan Reddy government, however, announced it was taking the burden of loan on itself for the dwelling unit of the size 365 sqft.