Samrat Choudhary urges Centre to increase housing target under PMAY-G for Bihar

Patna, April 10 (IANS) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has written to Union Minister for Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, requesting an increase in the housing target under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for the state.

In his letter, Choudhary expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for allocating a target of 7.90 lakh houses to Bihar for the financial year 2024–25.

He said this allocation is helping provide pucca houses to poor rural families currently living in kutcha homes or without any shelter.

However, Choudhary highlighted that 5.29 lakh additional families, identified in the Awas Plus 2018 survey, still remain on the scheme’s waiting list.

To address this gap, he requested: "We have urged rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to address the issue of poor people living in the Kutcha house. A physical target of 5.29 lakh houses is sanctioned for Bihar under PMAY-Gramin for FY 2025–26 so that these eligible beneficiaries may also be provided housing benefits."

He emphasised that a fresh allocation ahead of the proposed visit of PM Modi to Bihar on April 24 would allow the state to release the first installment of assistance to these beneficiaries during the PM's visit.

Samrat Choudhary also informed the Centre that a fresh survey is underway to identify new eligible beneficiaries who were previously left out, ensuring no deserving family is missed.

With the Bihar Assembly election coming up in the month of October or November, initiatives like this would be a strategic move of the BJP to woo the voters belonging to deprived sections of the society.

The central government has been running many welfare projects for the poor people like 5 kg food grain, many programs related to farmers, animal husbandry and fisheries, and road and national highway and bridge projects in Bihar.

--IANS

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