Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday kickstarted the process for constructing 100,000 homes for the urban poor in Bengaluru.
The scheme—titled Chief Minister’s 1 Lakh Bengaluru Housing Scheme for urban poor—is part of the Congress government’s budgetary assurance to provide a total of 700,000 homes across the state (600,000 in rural areas and 100,000 in Bengaluru).
Siddaramaiah has been announcing a flurry of populist schemes including Anna Bhagya (free rice), Ksheera Bhagya (free milk) and free healthcare (Aarogya Bhagya), free nutritious meals for expecting and new mothers (Matroo Poorna) among others as the states heads into elections next year.
The chief minister said that those who have been residing in Bengaluru for over five years, do not have a home and those falling below the poverty line would be considered for the scheme.
Each home would cost Rs5.50 lakh. Beneficiaries falling under the general category would get a subsidy of Rs2.7 lakh, while those falling under the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe category would get Rs3.7 lakh, the chief minister said. Beneficiaries can apply for loans for the remaining amount, he said.
The latest scheme targets the urban poor, similar to the Indira Canteen—a subsidized food venture across Bengaluru—as Siddaramaiah looks to increase his influence in the city where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to have a large presence in terms of assembly and parliamentary seats.
The chief minister on Wednesday said that the government would require 1,100 acres of land for the project and several locations have already been identified. The homes in three-storey buildings, will then be distributed to beneficiaries shortlisted by the government.
The scheme was approved by the state cabinet on 29 September and a government order has been released. Siddaramaiah said tenders will soon be called for the implementation of the scheme. The project will be completed within 24 months, Siddaramaiah said.
The schemes are targeted at economically and socially disadvantaged sections in a bid to consolidate Siddaramaiah’s image as a pro-poor politician, which has helped his popularity soar in the final year of his five-year term.
Siddaramaiah has also kept his focus intact on minorities, backward classes and dalits—his main support base that propelled him to power in 2013. Apart from talking about plans to increase reservations from the existing 50% to 72%, Siddaramaiah commissioned a caste census in 2015—the first since 1932. According to experts, the census results, when released, would challenge the dominant community status traditionally enjoyed by the Lingayats and Vokkaligas in the state.
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