As the head of a welfare state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has always been concerned about the poor. In yet another step aimed at improving their lot, he announced yesterday financial assistance for the beneficiaries of housing schemes of the state government meant for the people belonging to the lowest income group.
Addressing the people of the state, the Chief Minister said that assistance to the tune of Rs. 3,000 will be provided to the beneficiaries of the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, Nirman Sharmik Pucca Ghar Yojana (Construction Labour Pucca Housing Scheme), Khani Anchal Pucca Ghar Yojana (Mining Area Pucca Housing Scheme) for house repair work.
Patnaik also stated that the people who were deprived of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), a centrally sponsored scheme, will also get Rs. 5,000 as assistance from the State government for house repair work. The money will be credited to the beneficiaries through direct-benefit transfer (DBT) mode. As many as 30 lakh families will benefit from this decision of the government.
The state government will spend around Rs 1,444 crore from the fund allotted for its flagship Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. Patnaik assured that if the Centre does not consider Odisha’s justified demands for more houses for needy people, his government will take steps to construct houses for them. The Chief Minister was categorical that he will not let his people suffer on this account as he wanted all to live with dignity.
The opposition was quick to link the announcement with the upcoming panchayat elections. But the truth is that Patnaik has been fighting for the right of the poor to live with dignity ever since he first became the Chief Minister of the state in 2000. He has launched a string of poverty alleviation measures, including the flagship programme of distributing subsidized rice to below-poverty-line (BPL) families at Rs.1 per kg. While there is an Ahar scheme aimed at providing cheap meals to the urban poor, there are several housing schemes for the BPL-category people.
Thanks to these initiatives, the level of poverty in the state has come down significantly. Odisha, which was once notorious for starvation deaths and stories of poverty-struck parents selling off their children, has not reported a single case of starvation in the last few years. There has been tremendous economic improvement even in the backward KBK belt districts such as Kalahandi, Balangir and Nuapada.
The fact that this announcement by the Chief Minister comes ahead of the panchayat polls is only incidental. What is important is the intention of the government, which has always worked hard to ameliorate the pains of the poor. Patnaik remains committed to raising their standard of living as he strongly believes that leading a dignified life is the basic right of every human being.
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