Centre enhances fund under IAY by Rs 25,000: Kushwaha

As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of house for all in next seven years, the Centre has enhanced unit cost for building dwellings under Indira Awas Yojna by Rs 25,000 by including labour and toilet components, Union minister of State for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Upendra Kushwaha said today.
The unit cost for construction of houses under Indira Awas Yojna has been increased to Rs one lakh in Naxal-hit/hilly/difficult areas and Rs 95,000 in other areas, Kushwaha told reporters showcasing achievements of his department in the past one hundred days.
He said his ministry had sent a proposal to further hike the amount to Rs 1.25 lakh for Naxal-hit/hilly/difficult areas and Rs 1.15 lakh for others.

The minister said that along with house construction, the labour and cost for building toilet had been added.
Giving details, he said in addition to Rs 70,000 unit cost for construction of house under the scheme in general areas, Rs 15,000 per house had been added in the name of labour cost under MGNREGA programme and Rs 10,000 for toilet totalling Rs 95,000 per unit.
For houses in Naxal-hit areas, hilly terrain and difficult areas the amount is Rs one lakh per unit as unit cost was Rs 75,000.

The minister said that his ministry was working on a warfooting for fulfillment of PM announcement of house for everybody in the next seven years with facilities of toilet and electricity connection.

For this, the country would need three crore new houses at an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, he said.
Kushwaha said keeping in view reports of irregularities in BPL list in Bihar and other states due to which many deserving beneficiaries had been kept off, the Centre had decided to extend the benefit also to those whose names were recommended by Gram Sabhas.
Launching a scathing attack at the Bihar government, Kushwaha, who separated from ruling JD(U) to form Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) of his own and becoming an ally of BJP in NDA, said despite repeated reminders the state had failed to rectify BPL list.

"Many deserving persons have been excluded while many undeserving included," he added.