Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, no poor person in India will remain without a permanent house, stating that providing pucca houses for all is a key commitment of the Central government. Mr Chouhan was addressing the gathering after inauguration of completed houses and a state-level award ceremony under the Maha Awas Abhiyan held at Satara in Maharashtra.

He said Maharashtra has been assigned a target of 30 lakh houses within one year under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, calling it the highest allocation given to any state. He also congratulated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for securing the target, noting that five lakh houses have already been completed. Mr Chouhan also said, the government aims to provide solar power to every household to ensure zero electricity bills and appreciated the rapid pace of housing completion as well as financial assistance of one lakh rupees being given to landless beneficiaries.

Highlighting women empowerment, the Minister said, three crore women in the country have become “Lakhpati Didis” and the target has now been increased to six crore, with Maharashtra aiming to create one crore such women. He also announced that the rural development initiative “Viksit Bharat Ji Ramji Yojana” will be launched from July 1 to accelerate village development. The Minister reiterated the Centre’s commitment to strengthening agriculture and supporting farmers.