Under this govt, owning a house no longer a dream

Owning a house is not an easy feat. For many, it takes a lifetime of savings to build one while for others, banks can help out with home loans. In any case, the bulk of people’s wages goes into constructing a house. But, what about those whose dreams of owning a house are beyond their financial capabilities? That is where governments can chip in with financial assistance, and that is exactly what the Kerala government has done through its LIFE Mission programme.

The kind gesture from the state brought back smiles to the faces of people who once thought building a house was beyond their reach. The state has, so far, constructed 2.51 lakh houses for its citizens who did not have any fixed abode for long. Those who meet the eligibility for the government assistance can avail the service by applying online.  Under the programme, the applicant will receive Rs 4 lakh for a house, to which the Centre makes a contribution of Rs 72,000 in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) rural and Rs 1.5 lakh PMAY urban. The state government provides the remaining amount.

A total of 54, 183 houses were built in the first phase of LIFE Mission, in which those that remained incomplete even after being included in other similar projects were taken up for finishing. The second phase saw 91,147 houses built and the keys handed over to the applicants. The government, in the third phase, looks to build residences for 1 lakh people who have no land or home of their own. For the mission, the authorities have identified locations where residential flats would be constructed making use of the prefab technology. The tender process began for 10 those blocks and the outline for 56 others was completed. LIFE Mission houses were realised with the support from people and cooperation from the local bodies.

To ensure that the public received the maximum benefits from different projects, LIFE Mission was linked with Central housing schemes. As part of the PMAY scheme, 63,449 houses were constructed under its urban component and 17,149 under the rural component. The state has built houses worth 8,823 crore during the last four-and-a-half years that include those constructed by the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Development Department and Cooperative Departments through their housing projects.