The Odisha government’s Pucca Ghar Yojana (Mining) is aimed at providing permanent homes to eligible households living in kutcha houses in areas affected by mining activities. The scheme seeks to convert all eligible kutcha houses in the identified mining-affected blocks into pucca homes.The scheme covers 36 blocks across nine mineral-bearing districts – Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Sundargarh.The government plans to cover eligible kutcha households in these areas on a saturation basis, meaning the objective is to cover all households that meet the scheme’s eligibility conditions.
Who is eligible?
The scheme is meant for households living in kutcha houses in the identified mining-affected blocks. However, a household will not qualify if it has already been sanctioned a house under an earlier rural housing scheme or if it already lives in a pucca house.For the scheme, a kutcha house is one whose walls or roof are made from non-durable materials such as unburnt bricks, bamboo, mud, grass, reeds, thatch or loosely packed stones.A pucca house, on the other hand, must have a foundation, walls and roof made from permanent materials and should be capable of withstanding normal wear and tear and climatic conditions. The expected life of the structure should be at least 30 years.
Financial assistance
The financial assistance for constructing a new pucca house is:
- Rs 1.20 lakh in non-IAP districts
- Rs 1.30 lakh in IAP districts
The assistance covers construction of the house, while beneficiaries can also receive support through other government schemes.For instance, beneficiaries are entitled to 90 person-days of MGNREGS wages in non-IAP districts and 95 person-days in IAP districts. They can also receive Rs 12,000 for construction of an Individual Household Latrine (IHHL).The scheme also provides for convergence with programmes covering drinking water, electricity, land development and applicable social security benefits.
Incentive for early completion
Beneficiaries can receive an additional incentive for completing the house, including the toilet, within the prescribed period. The incentive is Rs 20,000 for completion within four months of receiving the instalment and Rs 10,000 for completion within six months of receiving the first instalment.
How are beneficiaries selected?
The process begins with a survey by the Block Development Officer (BDO) and field functionaries to identify eligible households in the mining-affected areas.The list is then checked against households that have already been sanctioned houses under rural housing schemes. After verification, the BDO sanctions houses to eligible beneficiaries and issues work orders.The beneficiary is required to submit details such as the Record of Rights (RoR) for the land, Aadhaar details, photograph, mobile number and bank account details. The government uses these records to verify eligibility and process the housing assistance.Registration can be done online through the Rural Housing Odisha website. Applicants are required to complete the beneficiary registration form and verify their mobile number through an OTP.The documents generally required include Aadhaar card, passport-size photograph, ration card, residence certificate, income certificate, proof of age and bank details.However, beneficiary identification is also carried out through the government’s field survey process, so eligible households may be identified and verified by local officials rather than relying only on individual applications.
Key takeaway
The Pucca Ghar Yojana (Mining) is a targeted rural housing scheme for mining-affected areas of Odisha. It provides up to ₹1.30 lakh towards construction of a pucca house, with additional support for toilets, MGNREGS wages, water, electricity and other basic services.The scheme is specifically designed for eligible kutcha households in 36 blocks across nine mining-affected districts, rather than being a general housing scheme available across Odisha.
