Speed of building PMAY houses has boosted during the pandemic: Prime Minister

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

He further added that under the PMAY, 18 lakh houses have been constructed in the country during the period of global COVID-Pandemic.

Modi also emphasized on the need to strengthen the poor to end poverty.

He spoke at the virtual housewarming ceremony of 1.75 houses built in rural parts of Madhya Pradesh under the PMAY scheme.

He further added “The speed with which these houses were constructed is a record. The construction of a house under the PMAY generally used to take approx 125 days earlier. During the coronavirus period, the average time taken for it came down to 45 to 60 days. This is the best example of turning a crisis into an opportunity,”.

“This has become possible after the migrants who returned home during the coronavirus-induced lockdown joined the work. They further got the benefits of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, under which Rs 23,000 crore have been spent on infrastructure and other works, The migrants returned home, got employment under this campaign and this expenditure also helped the construction- related businesses. ” the prime minister said.

“This campaign has helped the rural economy,” he said.

On the occasion, the prime minister interacted with some of the beneficiaries of the project.

“For removing poverty, it is important to strengthen the poor and this scheme has developed self- confidence in them so that they can sleep peacefully in their house at the end of the day after toiling hard,” Modi said while interacting with Pyarelal Yadav from Singrauli.

Son of Gulab Singh from Dhar district’s Amjhera village also shared with Modi that he constructed his house with the collective efforts of his villagers. The villagers contributed voluntarily to it.

The masons and laborers, who were rendered jobless due to lockdown, worked for them free of cost, he said.