UP constructs over 7 lakh housing units under central housing scheme

Uttar Pradesh has constructed 7,71,073 housing units till March 31 under the Centre's rural housing project, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), and secured the first position in the country, a minister said today.

The housing units meant for the rural poor have been completed in a record span of nine months, Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Mahendra Singh told reporters.

"PMAY-G was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Agra on November 20, 2016. The construction targets of 2016-17 and 2017-18 were completed in one year (2017-18). The construction rate of UP stands at 85 per cent, while the national average is 34 per cent.

"Earlier, UP was languishing at the bottom of the national table, but with the efforts of the state government, UP has occupied the top slot. UP is followed by Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The efforts of the state government will be to construct the housing units in six months, which were built in nine months," he said.

He said that more than 7,000 anganwadi centres were built under the rural job scheme MNREGS.

On Mukhyamantri Samagra Gram Vikas Yojana, he said that under this scheme, the villages of the jawans of the Army and para-military forces who were killed in action would be declared as 'shaheed gram' and a connecting road to the village will be built. A welcome gate will be built and an idol of the martyr will be installed in the village, he said.