The city Corporation's wing handling the Livelihood, Inclusion, Financial Empowerment (LIFE) housing project received more than 14,000 applications following the latest call issued by the State government for fresh applications to be included in the project’s beneficiary list.
According to Corporation officials, 14,280 applications were received when the window for submission closed recently. Out of these, 3,800 applicants own land of their own and need only money for construction of an individual housing unit. The remaining applications are for accommodation in the flat complexes which are part of the project.
In addition, another list has been prepared for housing projects under the Scheduled Caste Development Department and the Fisheries Department, both of which together have 2,265 applicants.
In the second phase of call for applications for the LIFE project, 18,008 applications were received. Once the applications are received, it goes through scrutiny with ground visits and adalats. Following the adalat, the list of 18,008 had come down to 9,000, after eliminating ineligible applicants. Among those who applied were those who claimed that their existing houses were dilapidated, a claim which did not stand scrutiny. Out of the 9,000 applicants shortlisted, 1,304 own land. The initial number of 14,280 in the latest round is also expected to be similarly reduced after scrutiny.
Close to a 1,000 families have also bought land in the city Corporation under the land purchase scheme of the LIFE project. The funds for land purchase are provided from the plan fund of the respective local body, while the LIFE Mission provides funds for the construction of houses. The State government had last year increased the funds for the land purchase scheme. Under the scheme, a family from the general category living in a municipal Corporation area will get ₹5.25 lakh to purchase a maximum of 3 cents of land, compared to the ₹2.5 lakh provided at the beginning of the scheme in 2016.