Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while attending the state‑level Prime Minister's Housing Scheme‑Rural programme in Balangir, Odisha, announced 5 lakh new solid houses for the state's poor. The event, held in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, also saw the foundation stone laid for a new agricultural college in Balangir.
Solid houses and solar‑panel facilities
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan assured that a proper survey has been completed and that solid houses will be provided to all poor families in a phased manner. The centre and state governments will jointly subsidise solar panels on these houses, making electricity bills zero and allowing residents to earn by selling surplus power. The programme was attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Dev, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Ravi Narayan Nayak, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, and MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Dev, among other representatives.
Lakhpati Didi scheme and agricultural college development
Mr Chauhan said that under Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s leadership, 29 lakh women in the state have become ‘Lakhpati Didi’. He announced that the agricultural college whose foundation stone was laid in Balangir will be made the country’s premier institution. Work is also under way on a scheme to install solar panels over fields and cultivate underneath. He added that under the Viksit Bharat‑Ji Ram Ji scheme, Odisha is slated to receive about ₹4,000 crore this year.