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Journalism of Courage
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said that his government has fixed a target so that “every poor of this country may have his own house by 2022.”
“…a roof for his family is another concern of the poor. Far from the Benami properties earned by corruption, the poor only desire to have a roof, a small house by his earning of honesty,” Jaitley said. “Our government is helping them so that they may fulfil the dream of their own house. We have fixed a target that every poor of this country may have his own house by 2022.”
He said that for this purpose the Prime Minister Awas Yojana has been launched in rural and urban areas of the country. Under this scheme, 51 lakh houses in year 2017-18 and 51 lakh houses during 2018-19 which is more than one crore houses will be constructed exclusively in rural areas. In urban areas, the assistance has been sanctioned to construct 37 lakh houses, he said.
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The scheme provides central assistance to urban local bodies and other implementing agencies through states/UTs for in-situ rehabilitation of existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation, credit linked subsidy, affordable housing in partnership and subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction and enhancement.
The government also announced a dedicate affordable housing fund under the National Housing Bank to boost demand and supply of low-cost homes. Jaitley said the government “will also establish a dedicated Affordable Housing Fund in National Housing Bank, funded from priority sector lending shortfall and fully serviced bonds authorized by the Government of India.”
