Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai revealed that the Central Government has approved the construction of over 8 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) for rural areas in Chhattisgarh. He also mentioned that his government, which took office nine months ago, had requested the Centre to approve housing separately under PMAY for surrendered Naxalites and those affected by Maoist violence in the state.
Criticising the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh, Sai alleged that it had failed to implement the scheme during its term from 2018 to 2023, leaving 18 lakh families without proper housing. He claimed that the Congress government, under Bhupesh Baghel, did not allocate the state's 40% share of funding for the scheme due to concerns that credit would go to the Central Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sai further explained that the newly-elected BJP government had addressed this issue in its first cabinet meeting by approving 18 lakh houses for beneficiaries in rural areas under PMAY, fulfilling a key promise made before the 2023 assembly elections. Additionally, the state government ensured the inclusion of 47,090 families who had been approved for housing under a separate scheme launched by the previous Congress government.
The Chief Minister also confirmed that his government had requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to approve separate housing provisions for surrendered Naxalites and those affected by Maoist violence, and they had agreed to consider the request. Sai emphasised that the state was committed to constructing 10,000 houses for these groups and had introduced a new scheme, 'Niyad Nellanar', focusing on the development of villages within a 5-km radius of security camps.
Under the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyay Maha Abhiyaan (PM-JANMAN), aimed at improving the living conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Sai noted that 24,064 houses had been sanctioned, with most of them completed.
