Expedite welfare housing projects for poorer sections, Andhra CM to officials

Amaravati, Aug 20 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed officials to fast-track welfare housing projects for poorer sections, setting a target of completing 10 lakh houses by March 2026.

Naidu said three lakh houses should host their house-warming ceremonies next month, while another two lakh homes should be handed over to beneficiaries by the Sankranti festival.

“Every poor family in the state should have its own house. The welfare housing projects undertaken must be completed soon. Complete one million houses by March 2026,” Naidu said in a press release.

Reviewing housing projects, he instructed officials to categorise them into A, B, and C for effective execution and to prepare a list of homeless poor families within 15 days. Authorities were also asked to identify land for beneficiaries—three cents in rural areas and two cents in urban areas.

The state has allocated over Rs 2,013 crore for housing projects this year, the release added.

Infrastructure upgrades in 4,305 layouts, where over 50 per cent of houses are complete, will require an additional Rs 3,296 crore for roads, drainage, and other amenities.

In Kuppam constituency, Rs 16 crore has been disbursed to 4,647 beneficiaries, while Rs 919 crore will soon be transferred to nearly three lakh beneficiaries statewide.

Of more than 18 lakh houses sanctioned under central schemes such as PMAY-Urban, PMAY-Gramin, and PM Janman, 9.5 lakh have been completed, including nearly three lakh this year, with another 19,000 expected next month.

Additional allocations include Rs 100 crore for 15,753 houses under PM Janman and Rs 75 crore for 15,582 houses under PMAY-Gramin.

PMAY-Urban, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aims to address the urban housing shortage among EWS, LIG, and MIG categories, including slum dwellers, by providing a house to all eligible urban households by 2022.

To address gaps in previous rural housing schemes and fulfil the government’s “Housing for All by 2022” promise, the Indira Awaas Yojana was revamped as the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G).

PM Janman aims to provide basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, electrification of unelectrified households and sustainable livelihood opportunities in 3 years. PTI STH SSK