Ker to avail Rs 4000 cr loan from HUDCO for flagship housing

The Kerala government today decided to avail a loan of Rs 4,000 crore for implementing its ambitious housing scheme- LIFE Mission, aimed at providing shelter to over five lakh homeless in the state.

The Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission, a programme announced by the LDF government after it came to power two years ago, envisages a comprehensive housing scheme for the landless and homeless in Kerala.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here, gave sanction to avail the loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd, an official release said.

The Rs 4,000 crore loan would be taken through the Kerala Urban Development Finance Corporation Ltd, it said.

The cabinet decision comes in the wake of criticism from some quarters that the much-hyped housing scheme was going at a slow pace.

The opposition Congress-led UDF had also alleged that there was confusion and technical complexities in identifying beneficiaries under the programme.

However, Vijayan had recently informed the state assembly that a state-wide survey, conducted as part of the Mission, had identified 5.13 lakh persons as homeless in the state and finalised the list of beneficiaries.

The target of the mission is to provide safe housing to over five lakh homeless in the state within five years.

They would be provided with modern housing complexes with provision for pursuing their livelihood, skill development and provision for financial services inclusion, among others,official sources said.

Marginalised sections like coastal population, plantation workers and those who stay in temporary shelters in government lands would be given priority, they added.

In another major decision, the cabinet also gave sanction to amend the Kerala State Sports Act (2000) to fix the tenure of sports council president and vice president not more than 10 years.