by Bhupen Goswami (PNI)

Guwahati : Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the Panchayat & Rural Development Department to take necessary steps for allotment of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to all differently abled persons of the state. Presently, there are 1,30,411 identified differently abled persons in the state. While reviewing the implementation of PMAY in a meeting held at his conference room at Janata Bhawan today, Sonowal asked the department to dash off a letter to the concerned ministry of the union government to resolve the issue relating to admissible disability percentage for extending the benefits of central government schemes to the differently abled persons of the state. At present, the admissible disability percentage for availing benefits of state government schemes is forty percent, where as in case of central government schemes persons with eighty percent disability only could avail the benefits. As a result, large numbers of disabled persons of the state are deprived of the benefits of the central schemes. Chief Minister Sonowal during the review meeting also asked the department to complete construction of one lakh houses under the scheme within 30 th September. Moreover, Sonowal also asked the department to settle all land disputes of the beneficiaries with the help of Deputy Commissioners before August 15. The Chief Minister also emphasized on making best use of the Anganwadi centres of the state both as play house for children and as skill development centre for empowering the SHGs and women as well. Minister for Social Welfare Department Pramila Rani Brahma, Minister of State for P&RD Naba Kumar Doley, Legal Advisor to the Chief Minister Santanu Bharali and other senior officers were present in the meeting. Following the P&RD review meeting, the Chief Minister also took stock of the progress of implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana in the state. The departmental officers informed the Chief Minister that so far sixteen lakh beneficiaries have been covered under the scheme against the target of twenty six lakh beneficiaries. Chief Minister Sonowal directed the department to cover the remaining beneficiaries applying seven different norms of the scheme in next phase. He also asked the department to ensure that no woman from socially backward or economically disadvantaged class is deprived from the benefits of the scheme. Minister for Food & Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs Phani Bhusan Choudhury, Minister of State for P&RD Naba Kumar Doley, CM’s Legal Advisor Santanu Bharali, and representatives of various Oil companies and other senior officials of the government were present in the meeting.