Odisha Approves New Housing Scheme 'Mo Ghara' For Rural Dwellers

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India]:The Odisha government on Monday approved a new housing scheme called ‘MO GHARA’ (‘My Home’ in the local language) where the state government will provide financial assistance to lower and lower-middle-income households in rural areas.

The scheme will cover all such families who were left out in the existing housing schemes due to ‘stringent eligibility criteria or due to insufficient allocation’ and also those who had received housing assistance of smaller amount in the past and now wants to upgrade or expand their houses, the state government said in a release. This is a credit-linked housing scheme with capital subsidy which is fully funded from the state’s budget.

Under the Scheme, a beneficiary can avail housing loan upto Rs 3 Lakh which can be repaid in 10 years excluding a one-year moratorium period in easy installments. They can opt for one of the four slabs of the loan amount — Rs 1 Lakh, Rs 1.5 Lakh, Rs 2 Lakh, and Rs 3 Lakh.

Banks will not charge any processing fee from the beneficiary for sanction of the loan
Coming to the eligibility criteria under the scheme, a family staying in a kutcha house or one pucca room with an RCC roof; either not availed any government housing assistance or has availed assistance of below Rs 70,000 in the past; and if the income of the family per month is below Rs 25, 000, among others, will be able to be part of the scheme.

An enhanced capital subsidy will be available to the vulnerable categories like SC/ST and PWD-headed households, the release said.

‘Keeping the promise that conversion of the left out kutcha houses into pucca houses will be continued as a priority of the Government, State Cabinet today approved a new housing scheme called ”MO GHARA’ to provide financial assistance to meet the aspiration of the lower and lower middle-income households of rural Odisha,’ said Pradip Kumar Amat, State Minister Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water.

The online applications will be received starting June 16, 2023.