SHILLONG, OCT 6: Housing Minister Zenith Sangma today said that the distribution of aluminium sheets free of cost for roofing for the economically weaker section will be done before the upcoming state elections to be held early next year.
“We have received applications (from beneficiaries) and we will distribute the aluminium sheets in one single day in the different blocks of the state. It will be done before and after elections. It will be a continuous process,” Sangma told reporters here on Friday.
The distribution of aluminium sheets is one of the two components of the Chief Minister’s Housing Assistance Programme (CMHAP) introduced by the government to replace the old CGI sheets scheme.
Stating that this is hundred per cent assistance from the government, he said that the financial involvement is Rs 8,200 per bundle of aluminium sheets and each beneficiary is entitled to get three bundles.
On the other hand, the second component will be the construction of dwelling houses at the cost of Rs 3.10 lakh, out of which Rs 75,000 will be given as assistance to beneficiaries and the rest will be in the form of loan.
The government has already earmarked Rs 60 crore for the construction of dwelling units.
The minister said that the Housing Selection and Monitoring Committee constituted at the Block level have been entrusted with the task of selecting the beneficiaries under the second component.
Interestingly unlike in the case of the CGI sheets, elected representatives are kept out of the entire process of selecting the beneficiaries of the scheme.
Asked, Sangma said this is because MLAs are vote seekers, and they tend not to give anybody who is not voting for them so certain section of the people will be discriminated.
He revealed that there have been lots of demands from the MLAs that they should also be involved in the process adding but as it is there is MLA scheme which have now been increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore.
By Our Reporter
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