Affordable houses for Covid warriors, uniformed personnel in Maharashtra

MUMBAI:  To honour the Covid warriors and uniformed personnel who risked their lives to serve people during the pandemic, the Maharashtra government has announced a housing scheme at reasonable rates. 
It is the first state in India to announce such a scheme for those who battled the virus.

According to the housing body of the Maharashtra government, 4,488 houses will be provided for various cross sections, from lower-income to higher-income groups. As per a state government notification dated May 29, 2020, employees of different departments such as health, finance, food and civil supply, water supply and sanitation, etc are declared Covid-19 warriors for their services during the pandemic.

Asha workers are also part of this list. Besides, uniformed personnel like police, armed servicemen, paramilitary forces, fire brigade are also treated as Covid warriors. The applicants should produce a domicile certificate, which must say that they have been staying in Maharashtra for the last 15 years.

“The houses for these Covid warriors are mostly located in Navi Mumbai, which includes areas like Kharghar, Kalamboli, Ghansoli, Dronagiri, Taloja and others. The eligible candidates can apply to the government. If there are more applications than the number of houses announced in the scheme, then these houses will be allocated through a lottery system,” said an  official, adding that housing aspirants can submit their applications online.

Moreover, the applicants have to get a certificate from their departments. “This is a small help to people who worked tirelessly during the pandemic risking their lives. In Mumbai, most people cannot afford to buy houses. Therefore, this scheme will help them get their dream homes adjoining Mumbai that is Navi Mumbai,” said an official of the City and Industrial Development Corporation.