Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has announced that the state government will construct 5 lakh houses for the poor across both urban and rural areas as part of its ongoing commitment to uplift marginalized communities.
These houses will be built under the Chief Minister’s Urban Housing Scheme and the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme, with additional support from the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Housing Renovation Scheme, which will provide Rs 80,000 for home repairs. The announcement was made during the state-level celebration of Maharishi Valmiki’s birth anniversary at Eklavya Stadium in Jind, where the CM paid respects to Maharishi Valmiki and emphasized his contributions to social justice. The CM also announced a grant of Rs 51 lakh for the Maharishi Valmiki Bhavan in Narwana town and additional support for building a student hostel in Hisar. The Haryana government, under the leadership of CM Saini, has introduced several key welfare initiatives. One such initiative is the classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) into two categories: Deprived SCs and Other SCs, ensuring that 50% of the 20% reservation for SCs in direct government recruitment will be allocated to candidates from the deprived category. The government has also formed the Haryana State Sanitation Workers Commission to protect sanitation workers’ rights, offering compensation of Rs 5 lakh for workers who die during duty and Rs 10 lakh for those who die while working in sewage. Furthermore, sanitation workers’ salaries will be increased from Rs 16,000-17,000 to Rs 26,000-27,000 per month, and 50% of cleaning contracts will be allocated to sanitation workers or their groups.
In terms of housing, the Chief Minister’s Urban Housing Scheme has allocated 15,250 plots of 30 square yards each to poor families, and Rs 80,000 will be provided for home repairs under the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Housing Renovation Scheme. The state also ensures that 48 lakh Below Poverty Line (BPL) families receive free food grains and, under the Prime Minister’s Ujjwala Scheme, 13 lakh families have been provided with LPG connections. BPL families also receive subsidized gas cylinders at Rs 500 each. Additionally, the government has introduced Happy Cards, allowing poor families to travel up to 1,000 kilometers annually for free on Haryana Roadways buses. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishna Kumar Bedi criticized the previous Bhupinder Singh Hooda government for not acting on the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling regarding reservations, accusing them of attempting to reduce rather than expand reservations. In contrast, the current government is committed to advancing social justice and ensuring that marginalized communities benefit from better housing, employment opportunities, and welfare programs. These comprehensive initiatives reflect the Haryana government’s focus on inclusive growth.
