An allocation of Rs 4,000 crore has been sought in the 2012-13 Budget for providing housing facilities in Karnataka. According to a survey, 900,000 poor people are now without a roof over their head in the state.
To provide housing for these sections, the state government had sanctioned construction of 640,000 houses during 2011-12.
The survey was conducted against the background of Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme, Ambedkar and Indira Awaz housing scheme of the Government of India, which are under implementation, and the state government’s Basava housing scheme that was launched a year and a half ago.
According to housing Minister V Somanna, Rs 50,000 would be made available in four instalments to the identified poor directly to build houses. The beneficiaries will receive the amount directly to overcome harassment at the hands of mediators.
There will be no discrimination in identifying the beneficiaries, he said, while inaugurating distribution of title deeds of 9,000 houses in the Varuna Assembly constituency of Mysore district.
It is proposed to construct 56,000 houses under these schemes and sanction has already been given for construction of 20,000 houses. Of these, 9,000 houses have been sanctioned for the Varuna Assembly constituency where about 57,000 people have been identified as houseless.
Chamarajanagar MP R Dhruvanarayan urged for separate allocation for construction of toilets while sanctioning money for house construction. He pointed out that the government provided Rs 3,100 for construction of toilets.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Siddaramaiah also urged the state government to double the amount given for house construction, from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Handing over title deeds of houses at Hosakote village in the Nanjangud taluk under the Basava housing scheme, he said Rs 50,000 currently given was insufficient to build a house as prices had risen. This, therefore, needed to be doubled. Despite the government distributing 200,000 houses each year, the number of houseless was increasing in the state.
“How much we grow is not important, but whether all are getting food is more important. Similarly, we should ensure other benefits too reach the poor,” said the MLA.
