Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated two affordable housing projects for urban poor people in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and laid the foundation stone for a rental housing facility under the PMAY-Urban BANDHU scheme. The projects are intended to provide secure and affordable homes to families in the state capital.

The Nilakantheswar Nibas project at Ghatikia and Mukteswar Residency at Gadakan comprise 1,608 housing units. They have been built at a combined cost of Rs. 1.61 bn. Majhi also dedicated 12 playgrounds equipped with modern facilities for sports and wellness activities in Bhubaneswar and adjoining areas.

The chief minister said the projects reflected the aim of creating a city where low-income families could live with dignity, workers could access affordable housing and young people could develop their talents. He said the housing programme formed part of the wider objective of meeting the basic needs of poor households through homes, toilets, piped drinking water, electricity and cooking gas.

Majhi said more than 200,000 homes had been sanctioned for Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), while the state government planned to provide about 500,000 homes through the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana. He also announced PMAY-Urban BANDHU as a complementary state initiative for affordable rental housing and laid the foundation stone for a rental project at Gadakana.

Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said the units would help slum dwellers obtain a formal address and improve their access to education and social opportunities. Majhi also referred to the central government’s claim that 250 mn people had moved out of poverty over the past 12 years, linking the housing programme to broader welfare measures.