Budhmania had no one to look up to when her husband Mahadev died. She had no children, no job and no savings.Shortly after her husband’s death, the house that she had been living in also collapsed and she had no money to repair it. It was a state of sheer helplessness that the lonely widow found herself in. As she had no means of income it was very difficult for her to survive. She was already too old to work and life became miserable. She started living in a colony with the help from some other people but life was not comfortable. She would be worried all the time about the future. Where would she go and what would she do? Who would look after her when she is older? These were the thoughts that kept on tormenting her. It was the typical life of a homeless widow with no income. She had no one to look after her when she fell ill. There was no one to help her with her household chores.Her brother-in-law and his wife would occasionally visit her but they stayed far away from her place so she could not depend on them.
Budhmania, however, got some relief as she got a house constructed under the Pradham Mantri Awas Yojana in 2017.She now has sturdy house which is comfortable and safe. It protects her from rain and wind. Unlike her earlier house no stray animal can enter here to cause disturbance. She is no longer tormented by insecurity and fear for the future.She has a shelter of her own now. Moreover, the house is near her brother in law’s place and therefore her sister-in-law can now constantly look after her.
Apart from the house Budhmania is now getting 35 Kilograms of rice as ration too. She has also got a gas connection.Her sister-in-law who lives nearby looks after her. “She is living here happily now. Her conditions have improved. She is not a destitute anymore. Thanks to this house her life is now carefree and comfortable.” Says her sister in law.
Budhmania is one of the thousands of people who have been benefited from the PMAY scheme in Chhattisgarh. 2050 houses were sanctioned in the year 2016-17 in the Rajpur block of Balrampur district itself. “Till now 2012 houses have been constructed and 1290 houses have been sanctioned again. These people were living in dilapidated houses. It was painful to see their plight. But now when we go for field visits we see these people living peacefully in their new homes. That feels good. We have succeeded in improving their lives. More and more people will be benefited by this scheme in the days to come.” Says Archana Priyanka Tigga, Development Block Co-ordinator, Rajpur.
The Chhattisgarh government has done significant work under the PMAY in recent times. According to 2018 statistics Chhattisgarh has the fourth highest number of rural beneficiaries under the PMAY among all the states in India. Chhattisgarh is also leading in terms of training rural masons for construction work.
