Bhubaneswar, Oct 13 Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday inaugurated two affordable housing projects for urban poor people and laid the foundation stone for a rental housing facility under the ‘PMAY-Urban BANDHU’ scheme.
The two projects — ‘Nilakantheswar Nibas’ at Ghatikia and ‘Mukteswar Residency’ at Gadakan in Bhubaneswar — comprised 1,608 affordable housing units built at a combined cost of Rs 161.48 crore.
Majhi also dedicated 12 playgrounds with state-of-the-art facilities to the people of the state capital and surrounding areas for sports and wellness activities.
“We aim to build a Bhubaneswar where poor families can live with dignity, workers can access affordable housing, youths can nurture their talents, and every citizen can lead a healthy and improved life,” the chief minister said.
Addressing a gathering, he said the affordable housing units have been built to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing food, housing and clothing to all.
“In the last 12 years, the prime minister has ensured that 25 crore people were pulled out of poverty. He is fulfilling the basic needs of poor families by providing not just houses, but also toilets, piped drinking water, electricity, and cooking gas,” Majhi said.
About Odisha, the chief minister informed the gathering that while over two lakh houses have been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), the state government would provide around five lakh houses through the ‘Antyodaya Gruha Yojana’.
On the occasion, he trained his guns on the Congress and said, “The Congress’ ‘Garibi Hatao’ motto had been a mere slogan. Modi, on the other hand, has been providing houses, toilets, piped water, gas, work to the poor,” Majhi asserted.
The chief minister announced the launch of ‘PMAY-Urban BANDHU’, a complementary state-level initiative launched by the Odisha government to provide affordable rental housing to families by laying the foundation stone for an affordable rental housing project at Gadakana.
Odisha’s Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said these housing units would provide slum dwellers with a new identity. They will now secure a proper home with a valid address, which will positively impact their education and social standing, he added.
(PTI News)
