Alappuzha second in LIFE Mission

Construction of 1,714 houses has been completed in the district under the Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission, a comprehensive housing scheme envisaged by the State government.

District panchayat president G. Venugopal said Alappuzha district had achieved the second position in the State in the implementation of the LIFE Mission.

Although the LIFE Mission planned to complete as many as 3,205 houses in the first phase in the district, it could only finish 1,714 houses till March 31, 2018.

The scheme is being implemented simultaneously by local self-government institutions, Fisheries, Minority Welfare, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development departments. “The construction of the remaining houses in the first phase will be completed in one month,” said, LIFE Mission district coordinator P.P. Udayasimhan.

The State government is implementing the scheme in different phases. In the initial phase, the LIFE Mission has come handy to those who had commenced work of houses under various earlier schemes but remained incomplete owing to paucity of funds.

An amount of ₹4 lakh has been provided as financial aid to each beneficiary for the completion of their houses.

Officials said the second phase of the scheme would commence soon. It will ensure home for all homeless people in the district. “We have prepared a list of 14,460 beneficiaries for the second phase of the scheme. Houses will be provided to all homeless people in the district under the LIFE Mission,” said project director K.R. Devadas.

Most of the local self-government institutions in the district have set aside funds for the implementation of the LIFE Mission during 2018-19. The district panchayat has earmarked a sum of ₹11.60 crore for the construction of houses under the scheme.

Meanwhile, a review meeting of the LIFE Mission held here recently congratulated various government departments and local bodies for their efforts in implementing the LIFE Mission.