Odisha cabinet approves outlay of over Rs 1,000 cr for transforming Puri to world-class heritage city

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 22 : Odisha Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have approved the revised cost of Rs. 4224.22 Crore (with an additional outlay of Rs 1016.22 crore) under Augmentation Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) Scheme for the development of Puri into a world-class heritage city and to preserve and revitalize the city and its heritage.

"The State Cabinet had earlier approved the scheme with a cost outlay of Rs.3208 Crore. A number of projects are under implementation under the scheme. During the course of execution of the projects, some changes were effected to the approved projects and some additional projects have been taken up, which has resulted in an increase in the total cost outlay of the scheme to Rs.4224.22 Crore." said a statement from Odisha government.

The State Cabinet has approved the revised cost of the scheme for an amount of Rs.4224.22 crore with a scheme implementation period from 2017-18 to 2024-25.

The ABADHA scheme was launched during 2017-18 to develop Puri into a world-class heritage city and to preserve and revitalize the city and its heritage.

Earlier on May 29, the Odisha government approved a new housing scheme called 'MO GHARA' ('My Home' in the local language) where the state government will provide financial assistance to lower and lower-middle-income households in rural areas.

The scheme will cover all such families who were left out in the existing housing schemes due to "stringent eligibility criteria or due to insufficient allocation" and also those who had received housing assistance of smaller amount in the past and now wants to upgrade or expand their houses, the state government said in a release. This is a credit-linked housing scheme with capital subsidy which is fully funded from the state's budget.

Under the Scheme, a beneficiary can avail housing loan upto Rs 3 Lakh which can be repaid in 10 years excluding a one-year moratorium period in easy instalments. They can opt for one of the four slabs of the loan amount Rs 1 Lakh, Rs 1.5 Lakh, Rs 2 Lakh, and Rs 3 Lakh.