“Our lives have transformed drastically, and we now have a dignified place in the society,” a beneficiary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) told Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in a virtual interaction held in New Delhi today under the initiative of ‘Labharthiyon Se Rubaroo’. Shri Kuldip Narayan, Joint Secretary and Mission Director PMAY-U also attended the session. The programme has been launched to monitor progress of projects under the Mission by directly interacting with beneficiaries.

In today’s session, Secretary, MoHUA, interacted with PMAY(U) beneficiaries from Assam, Jharkhand and Kerala to know about their life transforming experiences, empowerment stories after getting a pucca house of their own under the Mission. A virtual tour of their houses was also undertaken. From Assam, Smt Kunti Singh and Smt Milon Mandal were part of this online interaction. From Jharkhand, Smt Manisha Kachhap and Smt Mamani Pal joined the session while from Kerala, Smt Radhanmani and Smt Suma R. were part of ‘Labharthiyon Se Rubaroo’ virtual interaction.

Secretary, MoHUA, interacted with the beneficiaries individually and asked them about their journey, their family members, how they feel after having a house of their own and if they faced any problems while constructing the house with respect to funding.

The beneficiaries told Secretary, MoHUA, that having a home of their own is like a dream come true and if the Scheme was not there, they would have not been able to construct a home for themselves.

“Mera apna ghar banana ka sapna, sapna hi reh jata agar PMAY(U) scheme nahi hoti,” said Smt Kunti Singh of Assam’s Dhekiajuli. She runs a tailoring school, wherein she teaches 75 girl students.

Meanwhile, Ms Mamani Pal from Jharkhand’s Bundu said that the house has empowered her and given her a life of dignity and comfort in the society. “Samaaj me humara maan sammaan badh gaya hai,” she told Secretary, MoHUA.

"I feel fortunate to have been able to build a home for my children. Now they can study peacefully,” said Smt Manisha Kachhap, a beneficiary from Ranchi, Jharkhand. She also proudly explained that in true sense, she is the owner of the house as she takes all the decisions, and her husband also supports her.

As the interactions with Kerala began, Secretary, MoHUA, communicated with the beneficiaries in their regional language which put them at ease. Smt Radhamani of Kollam spoke to Shri Joshi about her family, and they too joined the interaction. “Ee veetil njangalude kudumbamm orumich kazhiyunnu (My entire family lives together in this house),” Smt Radhamani explained in her language.

Meanwhile, Smt Suma, who hails from Kerala’s Alappuzha, spoke about how she dreamt of having her own home for years. “PMAY(U) padhadhiyude karanam, oru muri veetil kazhinjirunna njangalk, swapnathulyamaya bhavanam nirmikkan kazhinju (We used to live in a one-room set earlier. Now, due to PMAY(U) scheme, we were able to build our dream home),” She said.

‘Labarthiyon Se Rubaroo’ has been planned as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The initiative was launched by the Ministry in September 2021. This was the 22^nd edition of the programme hosted by the Ministry with beneficiaries of different States/UTs.

The brief objectives of the initiative are to monitor the progress of the projects, to bring about able governance and transparency by direct interaction with the beneficiaries, to create a platform for officials from MoHUA and respective States/UTs to facilitate and expedite the construction of houses in their respective cities and most importantly, to create a feeling of inclusiveness among beneficiaries.

Access to a house is the primary indicator of social and economic well-being and dignity of a person. Recognising this fact, the Mission gives impetus to women empowerment through ensuring ownership of house. Every house under PMAY(U) ensures safety, security, along with access to basic civic amenities like toilet, electricity, kitchen and water connection.

PMAY(U) is in its seventh year of implementation. So far, against the assessed demand of 112 lakh houses, the Ministry has sanctioned 114.04 lakh houses; out of which, 93.25 lakh are grounded for construction and over 54.78 lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.

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YB/BK