Gujarat govt to chip in Rs.45K for pukka house of urban poor

In a laudable decision, Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given nod to give additional aid to urban poor for building pukka (concrete) house.

Giving details of the decision state government spokespersons Jaynarayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel said that Government of India, under its scheme ‘Integrated Housing & Slum Development Project (IHSDP)’, chips in Rs.80,000 while the state government gives Rs.10,000 and local bodies and beneficiaries collectively contribute Rs.10,000, for the making of a pukaa house, that costs Rs.1,00,000.

Central government, in February 2009, decided rupees one lakh as a unit cost for the pakka house. However, spokespersons said, in the present time, a pukka house with all basic facilities can not be built in less than Rs.1,70,000. State government acquainted the Central government with this issue and requested to increase its share, but it has not accepted the request.

Spokespersons further said that since there are no possibilities of increase in Government of India’s contribution, the state government has increased its share to Rs.45,000. Now, therefore, an urban poor beneficiary after contributing Rs.45,000 as his share can get a pukka house with all basic facilities.

Moreover, the state government has made an important decision to provide Government land free of cost to the local bodies for constructing houses for urban poor, spokesperson said.

The decision will benefit more than a quarter and one lakh members of about 24,769 urban poor families and will put a burden of Rs.111-crore on government exchequer.