Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the first instalment of Rs 540 crore to one lakh beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) rural housing scheme. The scheme aims to provide pucca houses to all the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across 18 states and Union Territories by 2025.
PM-JANMAN: A flagship scheme for tribal welfare
PM-JANMAN, launched in November 2023, is a flagship central scheme for the socio-economic welfare of PVTGs, who are among the most marginalized and vulnerable sections of the society. The scheme focuses on 11 critical interventions, such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, electricity, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The scheme has a budget of Rs 24,104 crore and involves nine ministries under the supervision of the Tribal Affairs Ministry. In the two months since the launch of the scheme, the government has sanctioned projects worth over Rs 4,700 crore under the PM-JANMAN package, said Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda.
PM interacts with beneficiaries via video conferencing
On the occasion of releasing the first instalment for pucca houses, PM Modi interacted with the beneficiaries of PM-JANMAN via video conferencing. He expressed his happiness and satisfaction over the progress made under the scheme and said that his government is committed to ensuring that the historically deprived tribal families get justice and dignity.
He also thanked the officials who have worked hard to reach out to every household in remote areas through more than 7,000 camps, where they facilitated Aadhaar cards, Jan Dhan accounts, Ayushman Bharat cards, ration cards, Kisan Credit Cards, and registration for different schemes under the mission.
He also appreciated the ‘whole of government’ approach adopted by different ministries to work together for the welfare of these most backward communities.
Pucca houses: A dream come true for tribal families
The beneficiaries who interacted with PM Modi belonged to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, which have major PVTG communities and population. They expressed their gratitude to PM Modi for fulfilling their long-cherished dream of having a pucca house of their own.
They also shared their stories of how they have benefited from various schemes under PM-JANMAN, such as solar lamps, LPG cylinders, mobile phones, toilets, piped water supply, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, etc.
They also said that they are looking forward to living a better life with dignity and security in their new homes.
Financial details of PM-JANMAN scheme
The PM-JANMAN scheme provides for around 4.9 lakh pucca houses at a cost of Rs 2.39 lakh per house; 500 hostels at Rs 2.75 crore per unit; 2,500 Anganwadi centres; installation of mobile towers in 3,000 villages; and 8,000 km of road connectivity.
The Union Cabinet has sanctioned a total of Rs 24,104 crore for this package to be spent over the next three years, out of which Rs 15,336 crore will be borne by the Centre and Rs 8,768 crore will be borne by the respective State governments.
The first instalment of Rs 540 crore released by PM Modi will be credited directly in the Jan Dhan accounts of PVTG beneficiaries for construction of pucca houses under PMAY-G. This amount constitutes about 22.5% of the total cost per house. The remaining amount will be released in two more instalments after verification of progress. The beneficiaries will also receive additional assistance of Rs 12,000 for construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin and Rs 18,000 for setting up LPG connections under Ujjwala Yojana.