The Congress government has begun construction of 4.5 lakh houses under the Indiramma housing scheme for the poor in the first phase in Telangana by spending Rs 5 lakh per house, totaling Rs 22,500 crore in just one year, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said on Sunday.
Speaking at a public meeting organised as part of the Indiramma house patta (land title) distribution programme in Madhira, he said there are 1.10 crore families in Telangana and the government is providing at least one welfare benefit to nearly 93 lakh families.
"The opposition is anxious and conspiring because our welfare programmes are fundamentally changing lives. But no matter how many conspiracies they hatch, the government will work tirelessly for the public," the Deputy CM said.
If the (previous) BRS government had built houses for the poor during their ten years in power, there would not have been a need today to spend thousands of crores on Indiramma housing, he said in a release.
Vikramarka said the government is building houses for the poor and asserted they are ready to spend any amount to ensure everyone can live with "self-respect".
He said the government is providing subsidised rice to 93 lakh families through ration shops.
"To help them cook, we are giving gas cylinders at Rs 500. And we are supplying up to 200 units of electricity free to ensure there is no financial burden on the poor," he said.
The government is also distributing pensions to the elderly, disabled, and single women, he added.
