MDA Govt says no to Housing Scheme launched by Congress-led Govt

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Shillong, Oct 25: The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance has decided not to push forward a housing scheme launched by the Congress-led government last year.

Deputy Chief Minister (Housing), Prestone Tynsong said that after a review of the scheme, the government found that the scheme was not “feasible.”

The Chief Minister’s Housing Assistance Programme was launched by the previous government last year to provide financial assistance and roofing materials to the underprivileged in rural and urban areas.

The scheme was launched after changing the nomenclature of an existing housing scheme in which the state government used to provide corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets to beneficiaries.

Tynsong said that the scheme talked about providing financial assistance to the beneficiaries for constructing their house, but in the scheme, a loan component was also included.

However there was no agreement signed by the state government with a particular bank that can provide loan to the selected beneficiaries.

He said that people, especially in rural areas, are allergic to loans.

Tynsong said that the previous government had spent Rs 78 crore for purchase of CGI sheets prior to the Assembly elections.

“The CGI sheets were distributed to many beneficiaries before the elections with a target to provide CGI sheets to around 300 households in each Block. The government bought more than 40,000 bundles of CGI sheets for distributing three bundles to each beneficiary in all the 45 blocks,” he said.

Moreover, Tynsong said that Housing Department did not have any budget privision during 2017-2018.

Tynsong said that the MDA government would not continue with the housing scheme except distributing CGI sheets to the beneficiaries.

The housing scheme has two components under which the government intends to provide construction materials to the beneficiaries, as well as financial assistance.

He said that the state government is also implementing the Centrally-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) for providing pucca houses with basic amenities to all houseless households and also to those households living in kutcha and dilapidated houses.

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