Govt aims to build 1.95 cr houses under PMAY-Gramin in 2 years

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said the government will build 1.95 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantari Awas Yojna (PMAY) - Gramin over the next two years.

Presenting her maiden Budget, Sitharaman said that the Narendra Modi government keeps "Gaon, Garib and Kisan at the centre" of everything it does. She further said that the time taken to complete construction of houses under the PMAY is reduced to 114 days from 314 days in 2015-16 due to use of direct benefit transfer (DBT) platform. In the second phase of PMAY-Gramin, 1.95 crore houses will be provided to eligible beneficiaries, during 2019-20 to 2021-22.

These houses will have amenities such as LPG, electricity and toilets, she said. The minister further said that by 2022, every single rural family except those who are unwilling to take the connection will have an electricity and a clean cooking facility.

Talking about rural roads, Sitharaman said Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana - Phase 3 envisaged to upgrade 1.25 lakh km of road length at an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore. All-weather road connectivity has been provided to more than 97 per cent of eligible and feasible habitations and it is made possible by a high pace of road construction, she said.