PMAY-G: Five Lakh Houses Announced for Odisha; Rural Development and Women’s Credit Plans

The news

Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 14 November 2026 announced five lakh pucca houses for poor families in Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G). Speaking at a state-level programme in Balangir alongside Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Chouhan said a fresh survey had been completed and no eligible family would be left living in a kutcha house. Houses will be provided in a phased manner.

Chouhan also announced that the Centre and the Odisha government will jointly provide subsidies for installing solar panels on the new houses, which he said would bring electricity bills to zero and allow beneficiaries to earn by selling surplus power. Separately, he said Odisha has achieved 29 lakh Lakhpati Didis, exceeding its target of 27 lakh a year ahead of schedule. Over the next five years, loans worth ₹10 lakh crore will be extended through banks to women across the country, including individual entrepreneurs who can now access credit without a guarantee.

Under the Viksit Bharat–G RAM G scheme, Odisha will receive approximately ₹4,000 crore this year, providing every panchayat with ₹25 lakh to ₹50 lakh annually. Over five years, smaller panchayats will receive up to ₹1 crore and larger ones up to ₹2 crore for roads, drains, schools, panchayat buildings, field connectivity and water-conservation ponds. Chouhan also said 1,700 km of roads have been approved under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and all remaining villages will be connected through pucca roads.

What is the Lakhpati Didi scheme and when did it start?

The Lakhpati Didi initiative aims to enable women in self-help groups to earn a sustainable annual income of at least one lakh rupees through diversified livelihood activities. It was launched by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day address on 15 August 2023. The programme is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), which began in 2011 as the National Rural Livelihoods Mission and was restructured and renamed in 2015. The target is to create three crore Lakhpati Didis across the country, with skill training, access to credit, and market linkages provided through the existing self-help group network.

What is PMAY-G and how does it work?

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin is a rural housing scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development that provides pucca houses to eligible households. A fresh survey in Odisha was completed to identify eligible poor families, after which houses will be provided in phases. The announcement of five lakh houses is a commitment to provide housing, not a claim that construction has already been completed.

What are the key components of the women's credit plan?

Odisha has reported 29 lakh Lakhpati Didis, exceeding its target of 27 lakh one year ahead of schedule. The nationwide plan envisages ₹10 lakh crore in bank loans to women over the next five years. Access to credit will no longer be limited to self-help group members; individual women entrepreneurs who wish to start businesses or livelihood activities will also be able to obtain loans without requiring a guarantee.

What is planned for agriculture and solar power?

A foundation stone was laid for a new agriculture college in Balangir, which Chouhan said will be developed into the country's finest agricultural institution with support from ICAR and the Government of India. A proposed initiative would install solar panels above agricultural fields, allowing farmers to cultivate fruits and vegetables beneath them, enabling income from both agriculture and solar power. Chouhan also said eligible farmers who had been left out of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme have now been added to the beneficiary list.