Odisha Strides Ahead In Rural Housing, Engagement Of labor Force

Bhubaneswar : Beating the adversities arising out of frequent shutdown and lockdowns for ongoing global pandemic, Odisha has made remarkable progress in implementation of rural housing and labour engagement programmes.

This was known from a high-level review meeting held on digital mode under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy from Lokseba Bhawan.
Taking a district wise review of present status, Chief Secretary Sri Tripathy directed the department of Pnachyati Raj and Drinking Water to complete 7 lakh units of rural housing during the current FY.

Review showed, by 5 August of the current year a total number of one lakh houses have were completed in differ districts. Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the department appraised that around 44,000 houses were completed during the same period of the last financial year. Each district was given the target as per their ‘house waiting list’ prepared earlier.

Chief Secretary Tripathy directed to complete the houses within the scheduled timeline while ensuring the quality of construction. The block level officers were directed to have close watch over the quality of construction. Tripathy also directed to wave out all factors that delay release of funds to the beneficiaries.

The issues relating to sanction of houses in favor of landless families figured in the meeting. Director Special Projects Sri Rajesh Patil apprised, “Around 57, 000 families in waiting list have been found landless. Sanction of houses in their favor is held up as the beneficiary need have exclusive ownership over the house”. Chief Secretary Sri Tripathy directed the collectors to provide homestead land to these families in Government land. He further directed that the cases in which land could not be settled within the existing revenue laws should be informed to Government at the earliest for alternative arrangement. Chief Secretary made it clear that landless families were the most deserving cases for sanction of pucca houses.
Principal Secretary Sri Singh highlighted the need for enhancement of the creation of man-days during the rainy season so as to provide wage based engagement to the labour force.

Review showed, as of 5 August, around 8.5 lakh man-days per day was being created in the State. Chief Secretary Sri Tripathy directed to enhance the man-days to 15 per day by end of the current month. Mission Director MGNREGS Sri Patil appraised, “presently around 1.5 lakh man-days per day is being created by line departments through their projects”. Chief Secretary directed the line departments to create at least 5 lakh man-days per day by end of this month. The balance 10 lakh man-days would be created through Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department.

It was decided to take up the works like trench-cum-bund, staggered trench, stop dam, loose boulder heck dam, fodder cultivation, coconut plantation, betel vine, nutria garden, horticulture plantation, and other rainy season projects through the line departments for the creation of more man-days. Collectors were asked to sanction at least 5 to 6 such projects per village for implementation during the rainy season.