Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the ‘Grih Pravesham’ event in Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing, where 1.75 Lakh Families were delivered pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G)
Modi also interacted with the beneficiaries under PMAY-G in Madhya Pradesh.
The Prime Minister said that the 1.75 Lakh beneficiary families who are moving into their new houses today have got their dream home and also a confidence about the future of their children. He said that the beneficiaries who got homes today have joined the ranks of the 2.25 crore families who have got their own house in the last 6 years and will now be living in their own house rather than living in a rented house or a slum or a kutcha house. He wished the beneficiaries Diwali and said that he would have been amongst them personally to share their joy if not for the Corona.
The Prime Minister said that today is not only a memorable moment in the lives of 1.75 lakh poor families, but it is also a major step to give pucca house to every homeless person in the country. He said while this strengthens the hope of the homeless in the country this also proves how the Government scheme launched with the right strategy and intention reaches the targeted beneficiaries.
Modi said that notwithstanding the challenges during the Corona period, work of 18 lakh houses has been completed throughout the country under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana-Gramin and among that 1.75 lakh houses completed in Madhya Pradesh itself. He said that on an average, building a house under PMAY-G takes about 125 days but during this period of Corona, it was completed in just about 45 to 60 days which is a record in itself. He said this was made possible owing to the migrants returning from cities to their villages. The Prime Minister said this is a great example of turning a challenge into an opportunity. He said that these migrant labour took care of their families by taking full advantage of the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan and at the same time worked to build homes for their poor brethren.
He expressed satisfaction that in many states of the country including Madhya Pradesh projects worth about Rs 23 thousand crores have been completed under PM Garib Kalyan Abhiyan. He said under this scheme, homes are being built for the poor in every village, works are being undertaken to provide water supply to every house, buildings are built for anganwadis and panchayats, along with cow sheds, ponds, wells etc.
He said that this has led to two benefits. One is millions of migrant labourers who returned back to their villages from the cities have got meaningful employment. And second – goods related to construction like Brick, Cement, Sand, etc. have been sold. He said that in a way Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan emerged as a big support for the village economy in this difficult time.
The Prime Minister said that various schemes were launched in the country for decades to build homes for the poor. But the goal of giving a dignified life, giving home to the crores of poor, could never be achieved.
He further said that the poor are not only getting a house, they are also getting toilets, Ujjwala Gas connection, Sowbaghya Yojana, Power connection, LED bulb and Water connection also along with it. He said that schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are playing an important role in changing the lives of rural sisters. The Prime Minister said about 27 welfare schemes of the Central Government are linked to the PM Awas Yojana.
The Prime Minister said that the houses built under the PM Awas Yojana are mostly registered in the name of the woman or registered jointly alongwith the woman of the household. New work opportunities are being created for and at the same time, a large number of lady masons are used for the construction.