Narayan Tanti (30) of Birjhora Tea Estate under Dangtal Development Block, Bongaigaon could not believe his fortune when he first entered his newly constructed house under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (Grameen) on July 13. He was among the three lakh beneficiaries whose families stepped into houses which they would now own.
“Forget about constructing a house, and that, too, a concrete one. My daily wage is not enough to even meet my family’s daily needs. It was manna from heaven when I first heard that the Government has allotted a house to me under PMAY(G). An amount of ₹ 1.30 lakh was credited to my bank account in three instalments. Moreover, I got an additional amount under the MGNREGA job card for 95 man-days,” Tanti shared his joy with Asom Barta.
The story of Durga Sharma (58), a mason by profession, of Amaribari village under Balipara Development Block in Sonitpur district, also has a happy ending. He stepped into his house without anyone joining him. He lost his wife earlier and does not have any children. “All families in our village belong to the BPL category. Hardly anyone among us has any good house to live in. Around 90% are kutcha houses here. You can imagine our happiness of having a pucca roof over our head. Earlier, I got a free LPG and electricity connection. These initiatives will certainly help rural households like ours,” said an emotional Sharma while talking to this reporter.
Another happy woman is Maheswari Pao, a Mishing villager from Baligaon Miri village.
“I am a tribal woman. We are a family of five. We used to live in a traditional chang-ghar. Panchayat members told us six months ago that we will get a house from the Government free of cost. Construction began two months after that and in about three months after that I moved to my house with my family. Now, I have a new chang-ghar with concrete walls and stairs. The other material used in construction of the house is bamboo,” said Pao.
Individuals such as Narayan, Durga, and Maheswari were not present among hundreds of other beneficiaries at a programme in Guwahati where Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the “griha pravesh” ceremony organised by the Panchayat & Rural Development Department. This formal programme, meant for the three lakh beneficiaries of the PMAY(G), was held at the Srimanta Sankardev International Auditorium in Guwahati.
Addressing the event, the Chief Minister said the State Government has been taking all measures necessary to give shape to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ensuring “Housing for All by 2024”. The Government of Assam has been implementing the provisions of PMAY(G) in letter and spirit, Dr. Sarma said.
He said that 19,10,823 houses have been approved under the scheme. The beneficiaries were selected based on socio-economic caste census (SECC) and Awas+. The Chief Minister said that 12,43,584 houses have already been constructed. “By February 2024, construction of additional 6 lakh houses would be completed,” he informed the gathering.
“With the aim of ensuring that the landless population of the State are also able to enjoy the benefits of the scheme, the Government has taken measures such as allotment of land to the landless,” he said in the meeting.
“We have spent about ₹ 15,000 crore in the last two years for constructing these houses in the State. Out of this amount, ₹ 13,000 cr have come from the Centre and rest from the State Government’s kitty. This has boosted the rural economy of our State.”
He stated that in line with PMAY, the State Government would implement ‘Chief Minister’s Awas Yojana’ under which one lakh houses would be constructed with State Government funds.
In Majuli district, the only riverine district in Assam, most of the houses allocated to beneficiaries are chang-ghars. These are the traditional houses of the Mising community. Even the Deuri community stays in chang-ghar. One of them being Jadav Deori (55) of Chiram Deori Gaon.
“Our village experiences floods in every monsoon season and hence it is a good step by the P&RD Department to allocate chang–ghar to us. My survival rests on agricultural activities. A house with concrete posts and stairs and that, too, at the expense of the Government is like a God gift to my family,” said Deori.
Gono Kanta Mili (60) of Chikari Gaon in Majuli district is a proud owner of a chang-ghar today. He was ably supported by the block and panchayat officials in building it. He made full use of locally available material in doing so.
Pritio Manaki (40) works in the Murmuria Tea Estate of Jorhat Development Block in Jorhat district. From a dilapidated house to his new concrete home is a dream-come-true for him. “How can people like us dream of a house unless the Government helps?” he chuckled.
