Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana Launched in MP
In Bhopal, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana for the rural homeless and started the 'Lalima Abhiyan' to fight anaemia among girls and women.
At a training programme on public welfare schemes in Bhopal, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (rural housing scheme) for people without homes in villages. The Mukhyamantri Gramin Awas Yojana has been running in the state since 2008 for families living below the poverty line; more than six lakh homeless people have received houses under it so far, while about 10 lakh people in need have benefited from the Indira Awas Yojana.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Shahari Awas Yojana (urban housing scheme), the target is to give every homeless person a home of their own by 2022. On the Chief Minister's initiative, more than 40,000 permanent (pucca) houses have already been built for the homeless in urban areas. At the training programme, people were given detailed information on the various housing schemes: whom to contact and how, the rules, loans, subsidies, margin-money facilities and more. The Chief Minister also handed over cheques to some beneficiaries, including Natthu, Tejbhan and Padam Singh.
Lalima Abhiyan against anaemia
To mark Chouhan's 11 years as Chief Minister, a new initiative was launched: the Lalima Abhiyan, which began by giving iron and folic acid tablets to girls and women to overcome anaemia. Started at the initiative of Women and Child Development Minister Archana Chitnis, the campaign will run in mission mode across the state.
Anaemia is a major cause of malnutrition. A lack of iron in the blood lowers haemoglobin, which leads to malnutrition. If a mother is anaemic, her baby is also likely to be underweight and weak. To treat anaemia, adolescent girls and women will be given iron and vitamin C supplements, and Ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines will also be made available.
The Women and Child Development Department will run the campaign together with field staff from the school education, higher education, panchayat and rural development, urban development, AYUSH, horticulture, forest and health departments. People who came to Bhopal from across the state were given information on all the public welfare schemes in one place.
