Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that once the poor are empowered, they have the courage to fight poverty. He participated in ‘Grih Pravesham’ of about 5.21 Lakh beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin in Madhya Pradesh via video conferencing.
The Prime Minister said that earlier, political parties did not do enough for the poor despite their professed stance. He emphasized that “these 5.25 lakh houses built in villages under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are not just statistics These 5.25 lakh houses are the identity of the poor getting strong in the country.”
He further said that this campaign of providing pucca houses to the poor is not just a government scheme but a commitment to instil confidence in the rural poor. “This is the first step of bringing the poor out of poverty”, he said. “These houses reflect the service spirit and a campaign to make women of the villages ‘lakhpati’.”, he added.
As against few lakh houses constructed earlier, the Prime Minister said that this government has already handed over 2.5 crore pucca houses out of which 2 crore are in the rural areas. Not even the pandemic could slow this campaign, said the Prime Minister. In Madhya Pradesh 24 lakh out of approved 30 lakh houses are already complete benefiting, among other, Baiga, Sahariya and Bhariya samaj people.
Houses under PMAY, the Prime Minister informed, come equipped with toilet, Saubhagya Yojna electricity Connection, Ujala Scheme LED bulb, Ujjwala gas Connection and water connection under Har Ghar Jal, saving the beneficiaries the hassle of running around for these benefits.
The Prime Minister, said that among the houses constructed under the PMAY scheme, almost two crore houses are registered in the name of the women. This ownership has strengthened the participation of the women in the financial decision-making of the household.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to enhance the dignity and ease of living of the women, the Prime Minister said that in the last two and half years more than 6 crore households have been provided tap water connection for drinking water.
