The ‘Manasodithiri Mannu’ campaign of the government aimed at providing land and housing to landless families with generous support and donations from the public is yet to pick up momentum in Ernakulam.
The project was launched in the beginning of 2022 as part of the government’s mission to provide houses to the landless poor. Around 215 cents had been received in the district as part of the campaign as on September-end. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who chaired a review meeting on developmental and welfare projects initiated in the central districts on October 3, had asked the authorities to step up the campaign. He had suggested that more people had to be made part of the campaign.
Of the 215 cents received, the authorities have completed registration proceedings for 192 cents. The rising land price and demand for land parcels seem to be impacting efforts to scale up donations under the project. The authorities are now trying to seek the cooperation of persons and institutions having large land parcels to share a portion of them for setting up houses for the homeless.
Estimates by the Local Self-Government department showed that 4,230 houses were built under the Life Mission project in the district up to March 2023. In the 2023-24 fiscal, 1,270 houses were constructed. The construction of 3,489 houses is progressing. As many as 266 houses were constructed for those having land but lacking the financial capacity to set up their own shelter. Eighteen houses were constructed for 18 families figuring in the extremely poor category.
