Bhubaneswar: In a significant step toward the goal of “housing for all,” Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved the construction of an additional 2,91,666 houses under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana.
The Chief Minister has also extended the scheme’s implementation period by two years, pushing the deadline from 2027 to 2029. The decision keeps the total project outlay unchanged at Rs 7,550 crore.
However, Rs 3,500 crore previously earmarked for the repair component has been reallocated for the construction of new houses. The Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department has been directed to conduct a quick survey to identify additional eligible beneficiaries.
Under the revised norms, beneficiaries who have received Rs 48,500 or less under the scheme, along with other eligible households, will be included. The scheme primarily targets poor and vulnerable families who were not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), including those living in kutcha houses or who are otherwise houseless.
To encourage faster construction, the government has also enhanced the incentive amounts. Beneficiaries who complete their houses within five months will now receive Rs 35,000 (up from the earlier Rs 20,000 for completion within four months). Those finishing construction within seven months will get Rs 20,000 (increased from Rs 10,000 for completion within six months).
Chief Minister Majhi said the expanded coverage and higher incentives would help more families benefit from the scheme and accelerate the state’s progress toward providing permanent houses to all eligible households.
The Antyodaya Gruha Yojana was launched with a target of building houses for five lakh families, focusing especially on the poorest sections left out of central housing programmes.
With the additional allocation of houses and the two-year extension, the state government expects to significantly narrow the gap in rural housing and deliver on its commitment to dignified shelter for the most vulnerable.