Chandigarh, Sep 28 (IANS) United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will give away free residential plots to Scheduled Caste and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families under the ambitious ‘Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Basti Yojana’ (rural township scheme) in Haryana’s industrial city of Panipat on Oct 2.
Under the scheme, being introduced by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Haryana government, residential plots of 100 sq yds each will be given to the people.
This is the first such scheme in the country.
The chief minister said Sunday that basic amenities would first be provided at the colonies and then the plots would be allotted so that people get facilities like electricity, water and parks.
The cost of developing each plot would be Rs.25,000, he added.
Hooda had announced at a rally in October last year that such a scheme would be introduced to enable the categories of people to have a shelter of their own.
Hooda said: “Out of about 7,000 villages in the state, land has been made available for plots in 5,000 villages. The state government will soon acquire land in the remaining villages.”