Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, who presented the State Budget 2024-25 on Monday, February 19, 2024, announced a mission for a ‘Hut-free Tamil Nadu’ by 2030, and said 8 lakh concrete houses would be constructed in rural areas under this mission.
Called the Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam, the scheme will be implemented in the coming year at a cost of ₹3,500 crore, providing an opportunity for the poor to build their dream homes, he said.
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“In the first phase, 1 lakh new houses will be built at a unit cost of ₹3.50 lakh per house in the coming year,” Mr. Thennarusu said, going on to explain that a recent survey conducted by the State government to replace huts with safe and permanent concrete houses in rural areas of Tamil Nadu had found that approximately 8 lakh huts continue to exist. He said selected beneficiaries would be provided with house sites in case they were landless, and would also be provided with funds to build their house, which would be put directly into their bank accounts. “With a scientific survey, the selection [of beneficiaries] will be done in a transparent manner,” he said.
Also read: Tamil Nadu Budget 2024 LIVE updates, Key Takeaways and Highlights.
Under the Mudhalvarin Grama Salaigal Membattu Thittam launched by the government to expand the network of quality roads to remote villages, road development work covering 2,000 km will be taken up at a cost of ₹1,000 crore in the coming year, the Minister said.
Additionally, ₹1,147 crore would be spent under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam–II to provide basic amenities to all hamlets in Tamil Nadu and make them self-sufficient. It will be implemented in 2,482 villages in the coming year.
Pointing out that the ‘Dravidian Model’ government had provided 46 lakh drinking water connections to rural households in the past three years, the Minister said in the coming year, 2,000 new overhead tanks will be constructed in rural local bodies, at a cost of ₹365 crore, replacing old structures.
Mr. Thennarasu said Tamil Nadu was the best performer in the country in implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). He said ₹3,300 crore has been earmarked for this scheme in the Budget Estimate. “Currently, employment is being provided to 92 lakh workers including 26 lakh Adi Dravidar workers, and 1.6 lakh tribal workers. It is noteworthy that 79 lakh women are benefiting under this scheme,” he said.
New agency to tackle environmental pollution
The Minister said a new agency, dedicated to the prevention of environmental pollution in Tamil Nadu would be established, to create hygienic environments in rural areas and to curb pollution from from non-biodegradable waste including plastic waste. “It will be responsible for ensuring the timely collection and recycling of non-biodegradable waste, as well as providing fuel for industrial use by creating an effective solid waste management system, through local bodies,” he said.
