Housing Minister of Karnataka V Somanna announced that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa would provide 5,000 affordable houses to people under the below poverty line (BPL) in Bengaluru on August 15. Minister Somanna said after attending the conference with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials and directors from the revenue department, they decided to hand over 445 acres, land of government to the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation to complete the Prime Minister Housing Scheme. Below the One Lakh Housing Scheme, there would be the construction of 46,000 multi-storied houses on 316 acres of land, which is in several stages. Somanna told the media that these residences are for the poor and will be provided at affordable prices. The cost has been reduced to Rs 5 lakh from the fixed price of Rs 7 lakh. Moreover, they are considering bringing down the cost to Rs 4.20 lakh for the scheduled cast. The Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of Bengaluru will also be given a chance to provide 50% of the houses to people BPL. He added that the Karnataka Slum Development Board has taken over to develop 1.8 lakh houses, and the construction is still in process. And several local organisations have also taken up the construction of 70,000 residences in different cities. Somanna further said that there would be no negligence of officials in distributing houses to poor people. Strict actions will be taken against such officials. Image SourceAlso read: Affordable housing: Grappling with the challenge of accessibility Also read: Property registrations across Karnataka halted as state announces lockdown