TN allocates Rs 1200 cr for rural development

The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned over Rs 1,200 crore for various programmes being implemented in rural areas of the state. These include housing programme and construction of roads in village panchayats.

The state has allocated around Rs 390 crore for the Indira Awas Yojana, a rural housing programme, being implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. For the year 2009-10, the government has set a target to construct 135,000 concrete houses in rural areas at a cost of around Rs 742 crore. The Centre’s share would be Rs 354 crore, of the total Rs 5,645.77 crore for distribution among all the states in the country.

Last year, the Tamil Nadu government constructed around 70,000 houses in rural areas at a cost of Rs 55,000 per house last year.

The government is constructing over 105,000 concrete houses and multistory tenements under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Similarly, in the coming financial year, under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development programme, 21,000 houses are to be constructed in urban areas at a cost of Rs 441 crore, a government official said.

An amount of Rs 509 crore has been allocated for Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam, a programme which aims to provide basic amenities and development works in 2,511 village panchayats. In the last three years, the works had been carried out in 7,585 villages panchayats at a cost of Rs 1,524 crore.

It is planning to take up road works in 2,500 more village panchayats at a cost of Rs 401 crore in the coming fiscal. A sum of Rs 350 crore has been earmarked for 2009-10.