Housing scheme for unskilled workers

The State government has launched a scheme to provide housing to unskilled labourers who migrate to urban centres for work.

As part of the Innovative Housing Scheme, the Kerala State Housing Board has completed 16 flats for unskilled workers in Thiruvananthapuram district. It has started work on 24 more flats for them.

Inaugurating the scheme, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the government's intention was to provide affordable and decent housing to labourers near urban centres where they could easily find work.

In the Thrikakkara suburb of Ernakulam district, the government had built 36 flats for construction labourers who commute to Kochi for work.

In Kottanellur on the outskirts of Thrissur district, the housing board was completing 24 flats for unskilled labourers.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the government would give women workers preference in allotment of the flats. At least a third of the new flats were reserved for them.

He said the government was actively pursuing its housing for all policy. Hundreds of landless people in the State had benefitted from the E.M.S. and M.N. housing schemes.

The government had written off housing loans of nearly Rs.183 crore taken by 42,000 low-income families.