BJD MPs Meet Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Demand Universal Coverage of Shelter Security for Odisha

New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today met Union Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh demanding universal coverage of Shelter Security with special focus on KBK and tribal majority districts and cyclone FANI affected families.

The BJD MPs placed demand on PMAY Hosing for Odisha based on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a letter to the Union Minister, the BJD MPs said that on December 11 Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to the Prime Minister reiterating his earlier request to include the identified left-out eligible households under PMAY(G) in respect of districts not affected by cyclone FANI.

The Odisha CM further requested the Prime Minister to advise the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India to open the window of Aawaas + Mobile App for the entire State of Odisha for a period of one month in order to migrate the data of eligible Households from State developed RH Portal to Aawaas+ for PMAY(G) programme. State conducted • identification through State developed RH Portal and found 5.09 Lakh eligible families in 16 districts not affected by cyclone FANI. These households are predominantly tribal’s in the tribal areas and KBK districts of Western and Southern Odisha. The data of these families need to be migrated to the PWL of PMA Y(G).
The fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution provides special protection to these areas as they are tribal-dominated and to facilitate their speedy development. Also, the KBK regions of Odisha have been very challenging and Governments have always proactively come forward to help, the BJD MPs said.

There are 1.84 Lakh families who had lost their houses in the Cyclone FANI and are staying in dilapidated house. These families are otherwise not entitled to avail normal PMAY(G) house. The PM during his visit to Odisha in May, 2019 committed to sanction Slakhs PMAY(G) houses to cyclone FANI affected families. PMAY-G (Special) houses to these 1.84Lakh families need to be sanctioned and the pre-requisite often listen of their name in the PWL of PMAY(G) should be waived. There might be some more eligible families missed out during survey through Awaas+ and RH portal. Window of Awaas+ should be opened for the entire State for a period of one month to cover these families, the MPs stated.