In a notable achievement, the Goa government has completed the construction of 250 houses out of the target of 254 for eligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). While providing the information, an official stated that the project, implemented at a cost of Rs 34 crore, aims to provide affordable housing. The nodal officer in-charge of the scheme and director of the District Rural Development Agency, P K Shirodkar, stressed that the project had a goal to construct 254 houses for eligible beneficiaries in the state.
“We have constructed 250 houses till date by meticulously following all the procedures under this scheme. The remaining four houses will be completed within the next two to three months,” Shirodkar said.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a flagship scheme of the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to provide affordable housing to all eligible rural households.
The scheme gets shared between the Centre and the states in the ratio of 60:40, implying that 60 per cent of the funding comes from the Government of India, while 40 per cent comes from the local government.
Meanwhile, the officer noted that the amount offered under the scheme should be increased from Rs 1.2 lakh, given the construction cost of houses in Goa is higher compared to other states.
Eligible Beneficiaries Surveyed
Shirodkar added that the state government has surveyed eligible beneficiaries who would be covered in the current financial year.
Mathura Vithal Desai, who lives in the remote Advalpal village in Bicholim taluka of North Goa district, lauded the government scheme and recalled how her house needed desperate repairs and they were short of funds.
Her six-member family used to stay in a mud house earlier. “The situation was worse during rains. We even had snakes entering our house,” she said.
“After we applied for the PMAY, we got the money. We invested some more money from our savings and got the house constructed,” Desai was quoted as saying in a report by PTI.
With PTI inputs
