YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s pet scheme – Navaratnalu-Pedalandiriki Illu (Nine jewels-housing for all the poor) of distributing house sites to 27 lakh poor people – has now been scheduled for launch on July 8.
The scheme has already been posted twice. First, Jagan proposed to distribute the house sites on March 25, coinciding with Ugadi festival day, but the programme was put off by the then state election commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on the pretext of model code of conduct for local body elections.
Later, the SEC postponed the elections on the grounds that the Coronavirus situation was turning serious. Though the Supreme Court has lifted the model code of conduct, there was no way Jagan could take up the distribution of house sites because of the imposition of lockdown all over the country.
Subsequently, Jagan announced that his government would take up house sites distribution on April 14, coinciding with Ambedka Jayanthi. But this was also not possible because the first phase of lockdown concluded only on April 14 and immediately, it was extended up to May 3.
Now Jagan says the programme will be conducted on July 8, coinciding with the birth anniversary of his father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, the former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh.
“Had there been no Corona pandemic, the registration of 27 lakh plots also would have been completed by now. Now, we have decided to conduct the programme on July 8. Not just house sites, we shall also construct houses for them free of cost,” Jagan announced.
He explained in detail the programmes launched by his government for the benefit of womenfolk.
“We have also brought in Disha Act to give stringent punishment to those who indulge in atrocities against women. We hope the Act would soon get the nod of the President,” the chief minister said.
