Odisha bags PMAY-U Awards 2021

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been felicitated with the prestigious PMAY-U Awards 2021 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for best policy initiative under special category.

The award has been conferred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MoHUA Minister Hardeep Singh Puri during the Indian Urban Housing Conclave at Rajkot in Gujarat today.

Director Municipal Administration & Mission Director, Jaga Mission, Sangramjit Nayak along with Mission Director, Odisha Urban Housing Mission-AWAAS, Debasish Singh received the award on behalf of the state government.

The Centre has recognised Odisha as a pioneer in creating solutions for the landless urban poor by providing them with security of tenure under its flagship initiative Jaga Mission that has further helped beneficiaries in housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Urban (PMAY-U). The innovation around leveraging such convergence of schemes by the state government has been highly appreciated at the event.

With the prevailing urban challenges like housing, formation of informal settlements that lead to emergence of multiple issues relating to civic and safety gaps, socio-economic incongruity and disruption to city planning, Odisha has paved a way towards addressing such challenges associated with urbanization through enactment of a landmark legislation–Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act 2017.

Jaga Mission interventions focused on assessing gaps at individual household level like land rights, housing support, including individual toilet, piped water supply and  in-house electricity, community level- access to road, drainage and proper street lighting in slums and social needs of people-Parichaya community centres, open space development and child play areas with proper play equipment.

One of the major highlights of the state government’s initiative is the convergence of Jaga Mission with Odisha Urban Housing Mission (OUHM) to provide land rights and housing to beneficiaries.

The OUHM and Jaga Mission worked in close collaboration to ensure that land rights and housing is made available to slum dwellers for a better living condition.

Land security and housing support have not only improved the quality of life in slums but also boosted the socio-economic conditions of individuals and families.