Odisha has instructed all districts to expedite land allotment for landless households awaiting homes under central rural housing schemes. The directive, issued by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, calls for priority allocation of suitable house sites to eligible beneficiaries already sanctioned houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and PM-JANMAN.According to district-level updates, 871 beneficiaries under PMAY-G and 50 under PM-JANMAN are yet to receive land despite earlier housing sanctions. The need for swift action has grown after the Awaas+ 2024 survey identified 2.01 lakh landless households out of 37.89 lakh surveyed families across the state. Rayagada tops the list with 21,869 such households, followed by Jajpur (16,232), Nabarangpur (13,535), Bargarh (12,595), Ganjam (11,929), Balasore (11,024) and Koraput (10,826).Girish SN, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, said the process of sanctioning houses for newly identified eligible families will begin once the Ministry of Rural Development gives its approval. However, he stressed that land allocation for these landless households must begin immediately to avoid delays in construction.He noted that the Gram Panchayat-wise list of landless households has been uploaded on AwaasSoft, enabling districts to verify and initiate allotment. Collectors have been asked to ensure time-bound allocation and convene monthly joint meetings with BDOs and tehsildars—on the first Saturday of each month—to address and resolve land-related bottlenecks.The state government believes faster land allotment will help streamline the rollout of rural housing schemes and reinforce its broader goal of ensuring housing for all eligible families.News source: The New Indian Express