Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has been able to complete construction of a total of 14,50,294 houses in rural areas under various housing schemes since 2014-15 financial year, officials said on Wednesday.

The houses built so far include 13,226 houses under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, 2,392 houses under the Nirman Shramik Pucca Ghar Yojana, 9,73,273 under Indira Awas Yojana and 2,31,467 houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

In 2017-18 financial year, more than 3,17,000 houses have been built so far. In an average, some 1,043 houses are being constructed every day in the state, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said at a review meeting with district collectors through video-conferencing.

In urban areas, as many as 49,142 houses have been sanctioned by now and 29,167 houses are at various stages of construction, said an official.

In a bid to expedite the construction of houses, it was decided at the meeting that the process of payment of assistance to beneficiaries in urban areas would be simplified. The assistance will be paid in four phases - Rs 40,000 at the time of digging of foundation, Rs 60,000 at the time of plinth, Rs 60,000 at the time of woodwork and the time of colour would be disbursed.

Incentives of Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 would be paid for completion of houses in four months and six months, respectively.

Padhi also directed the district collectors to ensure that all targets vis-à-vis houses for rural and urban poor are constructed by March-end. He also advised them to inform him if they were facing any problem in timely completion of the houses. PTI