Chandigarh, Nov 9 (IANS) Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday chaired a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee in Karnal and directed officials to ensure transparency and speed in the implementation of Central and state government welfare schemes.

The minister reviewed 22 schemes from 11 departments and instructed officials to ensure that the benefits of these schemes reach the maximum number of people and that developmental projects are executed promptly on the ground.

During the meeting, the Union Minister asked officials to prepare district-specific plans for developmental and welfare projects instead of merely focusing on meeting targets.

He also directed them to encourage more people to apply under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban and Rural) so that the benefits of the housing scheme can reach all eligible people.

While reviewing the ATMA Scheme of the Agriculture Department, he instructed the Deputy Director of Agriculture to motivate farmers to adopt natural farming practices and ensure that they receive proper training. This, he said, would help farmers earn higher incomes by reducing cultivation costs and improving profitability.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Union Minister said that under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), loans are provided to individuals for establishing self-employment ventures.

He emphasised that efforts are being made to raise awareness so that more people can benefit from this scheme.

He said under the PM Awas Yojana (Urban and Rural), the national target for the next five years has been set at three crore houses – one crore in urban areas and two crore in rural areas — and applications are being invited through the official portal.

He added that the ‘Vita Booth Scheme’ is a promising initiative for generating employment and will be simplified further so that more people can apply and benefit from it.

Under the PM SVANidhi scheme, the loan amount for street vendors has been increased – from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.

Additionally, a credit card facility has been introduced, providing Rs 50,000 in loans along with an extra Rs 30,000 revolving fund, allowing beneficiaries to reuse the credit multiple times.

The minister said such small-scale schemes bring meaningful change to the lives of economically weaker citizens.

–IANS

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