More beneficiaries to be included in housing scheme

One more detailed project report for PMAY- LIFE likely

The city Corporation has decided to request the State Government for permission to prepare one more Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY) – LIFE (Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment), to accommodate more beneficiaries.

Mayor K.Sreekumar announced the decision at the end of a stormy special council meeting, convened at the request of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which alleged that the Corporation is trying to reduce the number of beneficiaries in the housing scheme.

Earlier, BJP councillor M.R.Gopan, who opened the discussion, said that 9,027 beneficiaries have been chosen for the PMAY-LIFE project, through seven DPRs. Now, an attempt is being made to wind up the project at the seventh DPR, which the BJP is opposed to, as the Central Government has extended PMAY to the year 2022.

UDF councillor D.Anilkumar said that the beneficiaries of the LIFE project have had to run from pillar to post to produce the various certificates required to be selected for the scheme.

LDF councillor Palayam Rajan said that the local body’s progress in the LIFE project is as per the detailed guidelines prepared by the State Government. As part of the first phase of the project, 3,651 people from the city, who were unable to complete their houses due to insufficient funds from previous housing schemes, were able to complete their houses.

Another 1,028 beneficiaries bought lands under the land purchase scheme of the LIFE project.

They will now be provided houses under the PMAY-LIFE scheme. In the third phase, flats will be constructed for homeless beneficiaries, for which land is being identified in various parts of the city. For this, a committee consisting of councillors from all parties have been formed.

Mr.Rajan said that the latest round of verification is being done so that the beneficiaries who need to be considered on priority can be identified, and also to weed out those from economically well-off backgrounds.

The BJP and the LDF councillors also indulged in a war of words over the renaming of the scheme as PMAY-LIFE.

Stealing credit

The BJP councillors alleged that the State Government is trying to steal credit from the Centre.

However, the LDF councillors hit back saying that Kerala provides more funds than any other State for the housing project.

Mayor Sreekumar said that all party discussions can be held on accommodating more beneficiaries, depending upon the financial health of the local body.

Even as the council meeting ended, the BJP councillors continued shouting slogans, alleging that the ruling party was scuttling the housing scheme.

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