Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 6:

The Odisha government will shortly launch Shelter Security Mission in the  state with a projected cost of Rs 15,000 to 20,000 crore, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced here today.

Naveen Patnaik

"The mission will be directly monitored by me and it will encompass both urban and rural areas," Patnaik said inaugurating a two-day conference of the district collectors at the State Secretariat here.

Patnaik said the state government will convert all the kutcha houses in the state to pucca houses in five years under the Mission, which would require construction of more than five lakh houses every year.

Stating that a task of this scale requires huge mobilization of resources, manpower, a scientific and innovative implementation strategy and precise monitoring and execution, he said his government will leave no stone unturned in mobilising funds for this Mission.

“I am confident that the machinery which in the past had set global benchmarks in handling a disaster like Phailin will be able to deliver. This is a huge task but if all of us work in a team with intelligence, hard work and sincerity we should be able to do this”, he pointed out.

Admitting that one of the bottlenecks in implementation of rural housing schemes is the completion ratio, the Chief Minister said to overcome this and facilitate speedy completion of houses with an objective of 'zero incomplete houses', the state government decided to provide a cash incentive of Rs 10,000 for houses that are completed within four months from the date of issue of work order and release of first installment. Of this, Rs 9000 will go to the beneficiary who can utilise this for purchase of household articles for the completed house purely as per her/his choice, while the remaining Rs 1000 will go to the government functionaries who have monitored and supervised the construction work.

Those who complete houses in six month’s time can get a cash incentive of Rs 5000 out of which Rs 500 will go to the government functionaries who have monitored and supervised the construction work.

Besides, cash incentive and awards will be instituted for Gram Panchayats, blocks and districts performing well in Biju Pucca Ghar scheme. An untied fund of Rs 10 to 30 lakhs will be provided annually to each district collector basing on the number of blocks in the district.

This fund can be utilised by the collectors for innovations that will help in effective implementation of the scheme. They can also use this fund for improving, monitoring and as incentives to those 'persons/agencies who help in the effective implementation of this scheme, Patnaik said.

“There shall also be a concurrent monitoring by a third party," he said adding that along with rural housing, the state government is also proposing to come out with low cost affordable housing for urban poor, particularly for those living in slum areas.

While assuring the collectors that the state government will support them in all their pro-people initiatives, Patnaik told them to work boldly and without fear in the interests of the state.