Gitanjali Awas Yojana 2024, West Bengal : State Govt Provide Free Shelters to Empower Citizens

Gitanjali Awas Yojana 2024:- In order to provide free shelters to the poor, the Government of West Bengal has launched a project under the name of Gitanjali. The project serves two purposes; it provides shelters to the economically weaker section of the society as well as creates additional employment opportunities for construction workers.

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The State Government is providing Rs. 70 thousand per house in plain area and Rs. 75 thousand per house at Hill area and also at Sundarban area under the project. Through the District Magistrate 70% will be deposited as first instalment to the Bank account of the beneficiary and the residue 30% will be deposited as second instalment. To get the advantage the prospective beneficiary only should have a hassle free land by his own name.

What is Gitanjali Housing Scheme 2024

With a view to providing proper shelters, free of cost, to the poor, the Government in Housing Department has laid proper focus on construction of houses for the Economically Weaker Section of people.  This scheme is being implemented in the rural areas and non-Municipal urban areas in coordination with seven other Government Departments under the name of ‘Gitanjali’ and ‘Amar Thikana’. The Departments executing the scheme ‘Gitanjali’ are:-

• Fisheries Department
• Backward Classes Welfare Department
• Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department
• Forest Department
• Sundarban Affairs Department and
• Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs Department.

Gitanjali Housing Scheme 2024 : Highlights

Objective of Gitanjali Project

The objective of the scheme is to provide proper shelters to the economically weaker section of society as well as to create additional employment opportunities for construction workers etc. The cost of such dwelling units for new construction on beneficiary’s land in rural areas varies across the span and terrain of the state as follows owing to different soil and climatic conditions:

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(a)  Rs. 1.67 lakh for beneficiaries in general residing in Rural areas of plains;

(b) Rs.  1.23 lakh for fishermen residing in non-coastal areas to be implemented by Fisheries Department;

(c) Rs. 1.94 lakh for beneficiaries residing in the forest fringe areas of Sunderbans (to be implemented by Forest Department), and, for beneficiaries residing in other non-forest Coastal areas to be implemented by Sundarban Affairs Department & Fisheries Department;

(d) Rs.  2.51 lakh for beneficiaries residing within the forest fringe areas and forest villages in hill areas of Darjeeling district to be implemented by Forest Department;

(e) Rs. 3 lakh within the forest villages of Jalpaiguri district to be implemented by   Forest Department.

Cost of New Construction Housing in Non-Municipal Semi-Urban Areas

•  Rs. 1.67 lakh – for single –storied building on beneficiary’s land
•  Rs. 3.30 lakh – for multi-Storied building on the own land of implementing Government agencies or on Government land. 
• Construction of housing complexes in cluster approach is being explored for the EWS people in suitable areas dovetailing with the programme ‘Nija Griha Nija Bhumi’ launched by L&LR Department.
• Panchayat and Rural Development Department is implementing the scheme ‘Amar Thikana’ at a unit cost of Rs. 45,000/- for the plain areas and Rs. 48,500/- in hills, difficult areas and coastal areas.
• Families with Monthly income of Rs. 6000/- or less will be benefitted under the scheme.

Documents Required for Gitanjali Free House Yojana

• Identity proof (Aadhaar card, voter ID, PAN card, passport, or driving license)
• Address proof (Aadhaar card, voter ID, electricity bill, water bill)
• Income certificate issued by a competent authority.
• Bank account details.
• Photographs of the applicant.
• Proof of age such as birth certificate, school leaving certificate, or passport.
• Any other document specified by the government or the housing development authority.

Housing schemes for Backward Regions

Construction work of houses has been proposed under Special Grant from BRGF for construction of 34,758 dwelling units in 11 backward districts of the state (Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Bankura, Jalpaiguri, Birbhum, South 24-parganas, Malda, Mursidabad, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur) including LWE (Left Wing Extremist) areas, The matching share from State Budget is proposed for Rs. 46.82crore. 

• The proposal has been sanctioned by the Planning Commission of India.
• The Central Government has approved an amount of Rs. 117.06 crore from Central Fund for the project and already allotted Rs. 40.00 crore in the 1^st phase. The total project cost is Rs. 160.0013 crore. 
• The area of these dwelling houses will be 20 sq m i.e. 215 sq ft.   
• The unit cost will be Rs. 48,500/- for Hill, Coastal area and Jungal Mahal area; Unit cost for other areas will be Rs. 45,000/-.

Eligibility for BPL Family of this Scheme

Intending to provide proper shelters, free of cost, to the poor, the Government in Housing Department has laid proper focus on the construction of houses for the Economically Weaker Section of people. This scheme is being implemented in the rural and non-Municipal urban areas in coordination with seven other Government Departments under the name of ‘Gitanjali’ and ‘Amar Thikana’.
The Departments executing the scheme ‘Gitanjali’ are:–

• Fisheries Department
• Backward Classes Welfare Department
• Minority Affairs & Madrasah Education Department
• Forest Department
• Sundarban Affairs Department and
• Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs Department.

The Gitanjali Housing Scheme has two significant parts. One is the housing Scheme for the urban population and the other is the housing scheme for the rural population. The state government of West Bengal will build a shelter for the homeless people in the city.

Benefits of Gitanjali Free House Scheme

• Those who have land but do not have money to build a house can build a house under this Scheme.
• Under this Scheme, homeless people in the city will be able to build shelters for themselves.
• Under this Scheme, rural people who are homeless due to financial weakness will get help from the state government to build houses.
• Those who have become homeless due to various natural causes including river erosion and floods will be able to build houses through state government subsidies.
• Besides, the lost land of the farmers has been returned to them under this Scheme. In this way, the farmers can cultivate the land again and live happily.
• Under the Gitanjali Housing Scheme, the West Bengal state government will provide about 5 lakh houses. Those who are homeless will be able to get these houses.

Other following Provisions of Benefits

Provision of Land

The Scheme will be implemented in Rural areas on the land to be provided by the beneficiary of his/ her own land/ patta land and must be free from all encumbrances. In the case of urban areas where the land of beneficiaries is not available, the Group Housing may be built on the land supplied by District Administration, Municipality, or any Development Authority.

Area

The dwelling unit will be in the IAY pattern. District Authority will provide a low-cost toilet in every case.

Cost of the dwelling Units

a) In Rural Areas and Urban Areas (plains areas ):- As per IAY pattern of Rs. 70,000/- per unit.
b) In Hilly/ Difficult and Sundarban Areas:- As per IAY pattern of Rs. 75,000/- per unit.
The mode of selection of beneficiaries of ‘GITANAJALI’ and ‘IAY’ would be however different.

Eligibility

Homeless people living in the city who are citizens of West Bengal can come under this scheme.
People who have become homeless due to floods or other natural calamities will be considered eligible for the Gitanjali Housing Scheme.

Category of Beneficiaries

a) Poor People in Rural and Urban areas.
b) Poor People in Erosion/ Flood/ Other calamity affected/ Disaster prone areas.
c) Poor People affected by Government Projects (As part of rehabilitation measures).

Income Criterion

People having a family income of Rs. 6000/- per month or less are eligible. People on the BPL list will get priority.

Extent of application of the scheme

The Scheme applies to all over the state of West Bengal including Rural and Urban areas.

Exclusions for Gitanjali Awas Yojana

There are some exclusions or limitations of these schemes may include the

Eligibility criteria:- Not everyone may be eligible to apply for these schemes, as they may be restricted to specific income groups or age brackets.
Limited availability:– There may be a limited number of residential units available under these schemes, which may not be sufficient to meet the demand.
Location:– The schemes may be limited to specific locations, which may not be convenient for some people.
Application Process

Application Process of Gitanjali Awas Yojana

• At the district level, a sub-divisional governor, SDO, and block development officer BDO conduct the entire activities of the Scheme. In this case, the office can be contacted for the Scheme. In addition, a district governor and additional district governor supervise the work in each district.
• If you are considered eligible for the Gitanjali Housing Scheme, you can apply online for the benefits of this Scheme.

• There was no official portal for applying online but If government provides Gitanjali Housing Scheme Online Registration Then from there, you have to select Gitanjali Awas Yojana and press the registration button.
• Then a form will come in front of you. You have to fill in the required information on this site.
• However, make sure that the information you have filled in is correct. Then you need to attach the necessary documents and submit them carefully.
• The housing money received under the Gitanjali Housing Scheme will go directly to the bank account. However, in this case, the housing money can come in different installments.

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