Works worth Rs 23K cr done under Garib Kalyan Yojana: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the government had completed works worth Rs 23,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) and that the number of days to build a house under the PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) had gone down from 125 days to between 45 and 60 days.

Modi was speaking on the occasion of handing over of 1.75 lakh houses in Madhya Pradesh to the beneficiaries through videoconference, wherein Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor Anandiben Patel, BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and several beneficiaries also joined in.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said: "With the handing over of 1.75 lakh new houses, about 2.25 crore persons have got their own houses in the last six years."

Modi said that it reinforces the belief of crore of Indians that the government schemes made with right intentions are also realised and reach the beneficiaries.

"I can feel the satisfaction of my colleagues who have got their houses today, their confidence," he said.

The Prime Minister said that of the 2.25 crore houses built across the country, 1.75 lakh were completed in Madhya Pradesh, which is a record.

"Earlier, it usually took around 125 days to build a house. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, we took only 45-60 days ," Modi said. He said that this happened due to the migrant workers who returned from the cities to their native places and joined the workforce.

"I am satisfied that under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, works worth about Rs 23,000 crore have been completed in many states, including Madhya Pradesh," the Prime Minister said.

Emphasising the functioning style of his government, he said that in 2014, after studying earlier experiences, the old scheme was first tweaked and then implemented with a whole new perspective in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

"In this, transparency was given a priority -- from beneficiary selection to house allotment," Modi said, adding that earlier people had to run behind officials and others, but now the schemes automatically detect intended beneficiaries.

He said that priority is also given to locally available and used goods, ranging from material to construction. And house designs are prepared and accepted according to the local needs.

"The beneficiary builds his own house with complete monitoring at every stage with complete transparency," the Prime Minister said.

Stressing on Swachh Bharat Mission, Modi said be it toilets built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, they are not only providing facilities to the poor, but also are a major source of employment and empowerment.

"Especially in changing the lives of our rural sisters, these schemes are playing an important role," said, adding that during his Independence Day speech on August 15 this year, he had said that the work of laying optical fibre in about six lakh villages will be completed in the coming 1,000 days.

"Earlier, the goal was to provide fibre network to 2.5 lakh panchayats; now, it has been resolved to reach every village in the country," he said

He said that when fast Internet reaches villages, Wi-FI hotspots will be set up. "Then, the village children and youths will get better opportunities for education."

The Prime Minister also interacted with several beneficiaries on the occasion.