New Delhi: Minister for Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Rural Development, Rabi Narayan Naik, today met Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi to discuss key rural development and housing initiatives in Odisha.
The meeting was attended by former Union Education Minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan, along with other members of Parliament from Odisha and Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Girish S.N.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the ongoing process of identification and verification of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Odisha. Around 38 lakh households have been covered under the recent survey, and the process of physical verification is currently underway. The verification involves field-level confirmation of the eligibility of households, including their housing conditions.
Naik said that the verification and scrutiny process is expected to be completed by August 27, following which the authorised beneficiary list will be submitted by the State Government. After receipt of the authorised list, the first phase of PMAY houses for Odisha is expected to be allocated in September, enabling the process of providing houses to eligible beneficiaries to commence.
Chouhan appreciated the efforts of the Odisha Government in completing the housing survey and undertaking the verification process to identify eligible households. Naik reiterated the State Government’s commitment to ensuring that eligible and deserving households are covered under the housing programme.
The meeting also covered the implementation of Viksit Bharat–Gram (VB-GRAM) in Odisha. Around Rs 5,000 crore is envisaged to be spent in Odisha during the current financial year under the initiative. The programme is expected to support employment generation and the creation of useful infrastructure and community assets at the village and Panchayat levels.
