Health Minister Vidadala Rajini performed ‘Bhoomi Puja’ for construction of 16,690 Jagananna houses at a GVMC layout in Tangudubilli village of Anandapuram mandal in the Visakhapatnam district on Monday. The houses will be constructed with a budget of around ₹263 crore. She was accompanied by Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) Chairperson A. Vijaya Nirmala, District Collector A. Mallikarjuna and Bheemunipatnam MLA M. Srinivasa Rao and others.
Speaking to the beneficiaries during the programme, Ms. Rajini said that the State government has been fulfilling the dreams of the poor by providing them houses. She said that the government is constructing Jagananna Colonies with all basic amenities including drinking water supply, drainage system, roads and power supply. She said that the beneficiaries should utilise the government’s support and complete their houses at the earliest. She said that sand, iron, doors, windows and a few others are being given on subsidy by the government to the beneficiaries.
Mr. Mallikarjuna said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had sanctioned 1,40,000 Jagananna house sites for the district, out of which about one lakh houses for construction was also approved. He also said that the construction will be monitored by the VMRDA in the layout. If any beneficiary is unable to construct the house, then there is an option for them where government will construct and hand over the house, he said.
GVMC Commissioner G. Lakshmisha, officials from the Revenue Department and the municipal corporation were present.
4 UPHCs inaugurated
In another programme, Ms. Rajini inaugurated four new Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) at various places under Bheemunipatnam constituency, which were constructed with a budget of close to ₹4 crore.
In Ward 6, the Health Minister opened a UPHC near Ramalayam area at PM Palem which was constructed with a budget of ₹99.6 lakh and another at Bakkannapalem with ₹98.7 lakh. Similarly, in Ward 7, a UPHC was inaugurated at ASR Colony with a budget of ₹99.6 lakh and in Ward 5, a UPHC which was constructed with a budget of about ₹1.03 crore was opened at Marikavalasa.
Ms. Rajini said that as part of ‘Nadu-Nedu’, the State government has focussed on establishing Primary Health Centres (PHCs) on a large-scale in both rural and urban areas. The State government is giving facelift to a number of PHCs and is also providing adequate medicines apart from trained medical staff, she added.
Mr.Srinivasa Rao said that the localities in Ward 5,6 and 7 are densly populated and opening four UPHCs will definitely meet the requirement of people.
Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari, District Collector A. Mallikarjuna, GVMC Commissioner G. Lakshmisha, ward corporators and others were present.
