Over the past seven-and-a-half-years 3,75,631 Life Mission houses have been completed in the State, Minister for local administration M.B. Rajesh said here on Saturday. By the end of March, the number of houses will cross the five lakh mark. The Minister was speaking after handing over the keys of 50 houses completed in Kunnukara panchayat under the Life Mission on February 24 (Saturday).
The State has spent ₹17,180 crore on Life Mission houses. Of the total amount spent, ₹10,000 crore has come from Budget allocation and ₹5,000 from local government bodies. Money has also come through loans from Hudco. Life Mission allots ₹4 lakh per house, while the PMAY scheme provides ₹72,000 per house. The Adivasi community is provided with ₹6 lakh per house.
The Minister said the Centre had refused to pay ₹24,000 crore legitimately owed to the State. The State has approached the Supreme Court to secure the money, he added. Once the money is received, it will be possible to complete all Life Mission houses in two-and-a-half years. The programme will wipe out homelessness in the State, he claimed.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve presided over the function. Hibi Eden, MP, was present.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rajeeve announced that Cochin International Airport Limited and Chittilappilly Foundation would support a programme to provide 30 houses to widows with families. Each family would get ₹4 lakh. An amount of ₹1 crore has been set aside for the housing programme, the Minister said. Work on four houses had been completed under the Sneha Veedu scheme, he added.
A dialysis centre in Kadungalloor panchayat (at Binanipuram) would be set up soon.
