Speed of building PMAY houses improved during pandemic: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said aver time of building a house under Prhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-Gramin) came down to 45 to 60 days during pandemic from 125 days as migrants, who returned home during lockdown, also contributed towards it.

He said under PMAY, 18 lakh houses have been constructed in country during this crisis period.

Modi also called for need to strengn poor in order to end poverty.

He was speaking during virtual housewarming ceremony of 1.75 lakh houses built in rural parts of Mhya Presh under PMAY-Gramin scheme.

" speed with which se houses were constructed is a record. construction of a house under PMAY used to take an aver of 125 days earlier. But during coronavirus period, it came down to 45 to 60 days. This is an example of turning a crisis into an opportunity," he said.

"This has become possible as migrants who returned home during coronavirus-induced lockdown also joined work and availed benefits of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, under which Rs 23,000 crore have been spent on infrastructure and or works," he said.

migrants returned home, got employment under this campaign and expenditure done under it also helped construction-related businesses, he ded.

"This campaign has helped rural ecomy," he said.

Modi said people used to ask him what was new in PMAY as such schemes existed since Independence.

"Construction of houses under community development programmes began post-Independence. But target of providing houses to poor could t be achieved," he said.

Earlier, everything related to houses for poor was centralised in Delhi and beneficiaries were where involved in process, Modi ded.

"re was government interference and lack of transparency. beneficiaries, who h to live in those houses, were t asked (about ir requirements) and colony system of urban areas was forced upon people in tribal areas. needs of rural population were different," he said.

PM alleged that in past, quality of houses used to be poor and y lacked basic amenities, which is why people did t move into m.

"Given se experiences and ir study, we amended old scheme with a new thought. Transparency was given priority...w people don't need to approach government, but it is reaching out to m," he said.

re is transparency in PMAY and re is scope of bungling w due to monitoring at every level, PM said.

"w beneficiaries take decisions about ir houses. y construct ir houses as per ir own design," he said.

Modi also praised Mhya Presh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for linking 27 government schemes with PMAY.

He said his government has been developing modern infrastructure to boost confidence of rural population.

"I h anunced that six lakh vills would be connected through optical cable fiber network within 1,000 days. Earlier, a target of connecting 2.5 lakh panchayats through optical fiber was set. w, vills are being connected," he said.

"During coronavirus period, this work also progressed rapidly under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan. In just a few weeks, more than 5,000 kms of optical fiber has been laid in 117 districts of country," he said.

This has provided 15,000 wi-fi hotspots and about 19,000 optical fiber connections in more than 1,250 gram panchayats. In selected districts of MP, 1,300 kms of optical fiber has been laid. All this work has been done during coronavirus period, he said.

Modi said this will solve network problem for people in rural areas and y will t have to depend on urban areas for it.

On occasion, prime minister interacted with some of PMAY beneficiaries in Mhya Presh.

While speaking to Pyarelal Yav from Singrauli, Modi said, "For removing poverty, it is important to strengn poor and this scheme has developed self-confidence in m so that y can sleep peacefully in ir house at end of day after toiling hard." Son of Gulab Singh from Dhar district's Amjhera vill told Modi that he constructed his house with collective efforts of his villrs, who contributed voluntarily for it.

masons and laboureres, who were rendered jobless due to lockdown, worked for m free of cost, he said.

When Narendra Namdeo of Bhitarwar in Gwalior district praised PM for his government's decision to nullify Article 370 and triple talaq, Modi asked him in a lighter vein wher he was planning to contest elections considering his kwledge about several issues.

Namdeo's wife thanked Modi for providing a house, a gas connection and a toilet to m and invited him to visit ir home, which he accepted.

Mhya Presh chief minister also spoke on occasion. Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiritya Scindia were present during programme.