The State government intends to provide shelter to every homeless family below the poverty line, said Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar. Steps were being taken to fulfil the government’s objective by providing house sites to the poor, he said speaking at a patta distribution programme here on Friday. The minister distributed the title deeds to about 400 beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries were allotted land at Uday Nagar of Shivaigudem village in Khammam urban mandal. The TRS government wants poor families to live with self-respect, with a shelter over their heads and that was why the double bedroom programme was taken up, Ajay Kumar said.
He advised the beneficiaries not to sell or mortgage their land but to build a house and live there. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao also planned to offer financial assistance to build houses to the poor families owning a piece of land. The beneficiaries should not leave the land vacant lest it could attract the attention of land grabbers, he said while warning that if anyone was found to have sold his or her land, such land allotment would be cancelled.
Infrastructure like roads, drinking water and electricity was developed at Uday Nagar. Necessary approvals were given for the construction of a government school in that area, Ajay Kumar informed adding that it was his desire to provide shelter to as many as 10,000 poor families in Khammam. Those who could not get the house sites this time have to apply again and they would be allotted house sites free of cost in the next phase. One should not trust middlemen and every genuine beneficiary would be given house sites free of cost, the Minister said.
Earlier on the day, Ajay Kumar distributed laptops to engineering first-year students at a programme held at the IT Hub here under the aegis of Chetana Foundation. As many as 45 meritorious students were given the laptops free of cost.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister called upon the students to make use of the educational and job opportunities being provided by the State government to excel in their lives. He appreciated the Foundation office bearers for their kind gesture. SUDA Chairman Bachu Vijay Kumar, MLC B Lakshminarayana, Mayor G Papalal, his deputy B Murali Prasad, Collector RV Karnan, Chetana Foundation members P Ranga Rao, V Anil Kumar, Sk Rashid and others were present.