Centre approves Rs 1.30 lakh each for 248 disaster-hit Kangra families

The Union Government has approved funds for 248 families for the construction of houses in Kangra district who had lost their homes due to heavy rain, flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season this year. Each family will receive a grant of Rs 1.30 lakh for house construction, to be released in three instalments.

The district administration identified 1,600 families that had lost their homes. A proposal was made for providing them with financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana. The Union Government approved the proposal on the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his visit to the disaster-hit areas of the district last month.

Bhanu Pratap Thakur, District Development Officer, District Rural Development Agency, said that 248 families were selected in the first phase for financial assistance. The remaining families would also be included in the list of beneficiaries soon, he added.

He said that all departmental formalities would be completed by October 31, after which the first instalment of Rs 65,000 would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of 248 families. Each approved family would receive a total grant of Rs 1.30 lakh for house construction, to be released in three instalments as the work progresses, he added.

In addition to the financial assistance, 95 days of employment would also be provided to the families of these beneficiaries under the MGNREGA scheme.