Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said it was not right on behalf of the Union government to insist on displaying the logo of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in front of houses constructed under the state government's scheme.
Addressing the media here as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas, Vijayan said government assistance for a house is a basic right of every citizen.
The chief minister was responding to news reports that the Centre has been insisting on displaying the logo of PMAY in front of houses constructed as part of the Kerala Government’s LIFE Mission project.
The Life Mission project is a flagship programme of the Kerala government through which homes are built for the homeless.
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"For PMAY-G, the Centre’s share is Rs 72,000, while the state adds the rest and makes it Rs 4 lakh. Now, the Centre is insisting on displaying the logo of PMAY in front of houses constructed as part of the Kerala Government’s LIFE Mission project.
"Housing is a basic right of every human being. It's not right to use it as an advertisement for the Union government and the Prime Minister," Vijayan said.
He said the attempts to sabotage the project, which envisages houses for everyone, is a serious matter.
"As part of the Life Mission project, it was planned to construct 71,861 houses this financial year. An agreement was entered into to build 1,41,257 houses. Out of which 15,518 have already been completed.
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"But there are deliberate attempts to spread that the project has failed. Constructing more houses than planned itself is a reply to those who spread such false information," Vijayan added.
According to government sources, over 3.56 lakh houses have been constructed and handed over to beneficiaries under the Life Mission project since 2016.
Over 1.25 lakh houses are under construction. The houses built under the project do not carry the state government or the Life Mission logo, they said.
Speaking about the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas, the chief minister said the authorities have received 14,232 representations from Kasaragod. Considering the huge crowd, more counters will be set up to receive complaints from the people, he said.People turned in large numbers to raise their complaints and grievances before the CM and his cabinet colleagues as part of the ongoing outreach programme at various places.
The Left government has said that the outreach programme intends to show people the achievements of the state which are "hidden" from the public and also address their problems.
The outreach programme will conclude on December 23 at the Vattiyoorkavu constituency in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, the chief minister congratulated the Australian cricket team on their sixth World Cup win.
In a post on 'X', Vijayan said: "Congratulations to the Australian cricket team on their sixth world cup win at #Worldcupfinal2023. India, under the leadership of @ImRo45, reached the final with a dominating performance throughout the tournament, exemplified by the glorious feats of @imVkohli & @MdShami11. Wishing that our team could rise with courage to win more battles in future."
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-With PTI Input
