The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, November 19
Haryana Development and Panchayat Minister, Krishan Lal Panwar, in response to concerns raised during call-attention motion in the House, stated that the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojana was launched in 2008 to provide 100 square yard plots to Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, and Families living below the poverty line.
However, due to various reasons, some beneficiaries were unable to take possession of the allotted plots.
He further said that the Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Yojana was introduced in 2024-25 by the Housing for All Department established by the present state government.
Under this scheme, a state-level program was held on June 10, 2024, during which possession certificates for allotted plots were distributed to approximately 7,000 beneficiaries.
The state government is also taking steps to ensure that possession is granted to other eligible beneficiaries at the earliest.Panwar further informed the House that many beneficiaries had not received plots under the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojana.
In light of this, the Housing for All Department launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Yojana-Vistar’, which aims to provide residential plots of 50 or 100 square yards to landless rural families to meet their housing needs. To expedite implementation, around 1,000 Gram Panchayats were identified in the first phase.
These Panchayats have passed proposals to allot plots of Panchayat land to eligible families and submitted them to the state government.
Regarding the provision of basic amenities such as electricity, water, roads, lanes, and drains—in colonies established under the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojana, Panwar assured that the state government is actively working on these efforts.
Under this scheme, approximately 4,573 colonies have been established, with basic facilities provided in around 2,250 colonies where settlements have begun.
In the past ten years, a budget of about Rs. 320.5 crore has been allocated for this initiative, including Rs. 94.5 crore for the Electricity Department and Rs. 66 crore for the Public Health Engineering Department to ensure the provision of essential services.To further accelerate these efforts, a special task force was established at the block level in 2022-23.
The task force, led by the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) and consisting of Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) from the Public Health Engineering, Panchayat Raj, and Electricity (UHBVN/DHBVN) Departments, is tasked with surveying these colonies.
The goal is to identify areas lacking basic amenities and submit recommendations for improvements through the Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad. Priority is being given to colonies with a significant population, and guidelines have been issued to activate the task force.
About Sirsa district, Panwar shared that 269 colonies have been developed under the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojana, of which basic facilities have been provided in 113 colonies, and work is ongoing in 156 others.
The Minister reiterated the government’s strong commitment to ensuring the provision of basic infrastructure in all colonies under the scheme. Any colony still lacking these facilities will be given priority for development.
Furthermore, if additional funds are needed to complete the necessary infrastructure in these colonies, the state government will allocate the required budget.
