Hut Dwellers Get Priority in Telangana’s Indiramma Housing Scheme Phase II
Hyderabad: In a significant move towards housing for all, the Telangana government has announced that people residing in huts will be given first priority under the second phase of the Indiramma Housing Scheme. The decision was communicated by Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy during a video conference with officials on Wednesday. The goal, he said, is to make the state entirely free of huts, ensuring that the most vulnerable sections are not left out.
Under Phase I of the scheme, the government provided ₹5 lakh assistance to eligible families who owned land but could not afford to build a house. Phase II expands the scope to cover those without land or with temporary dwellings. A total of 2.5 lakh houses will be sanctioned, with an equal distribution of 2,000 houses per Assembly constituency across 119 constituencies.
The minister stressed that hut dwellers who had not applied earlier—whether under the Praja Palana drive or other programmes—can now submit applications to the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO). A dedicated survey will be conducted to identify genuine beneficiaries in this category. As per official data, around 75,000 people had indicated their hut-dwelling status in applications during the Praja Palana outreach. Field-level verification will now cross-check these claims to finalise the list.
“Transparency must be maintained at every stage,” the minister instructed, directing MPDOs to prepare a list of eligible beneficiaries and submit it to the ministers in charge of respective constituencies for approval. Only after granting houses to these hut-dwelling families will other applications be considered.
In addition to new allocations, Phase II also introduces a roof upgradation component. Families residing in houses with strong walls and foundations but unsafe roofs—such as those made of stone slabs, tarpaulin, metal sheets, or other vulnerable materials—will receive ₹2 lakh for the construction of an RCC roof. This component will cover 500 houses per Assembly constituency, totalling 50,000 houses across the state. The minister clarified that houses where construction under earlier schemes remains incomplete can also be considered under this roof upgradation programme, subject to fresh inspections.
Officials were asked to accelerate the groundwork for the implementation. The chief ministers and district officials are expected to coordinate closely to avoid delays. The Indiramma Housing Scheme, named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is one of the flagship welfare programmes of the state government, aiming to provide dignified living conditions to the economically weaker sections. Its first phase faced challenges in reaching the landless poor, which the second phase explicitly addresses.
The state government’s commitment to a hut-free Telangana aligns with the broader national objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but with a tailored approach to local needs. With the survey and verification process set to begin soon, officials hope to complete the beneficiary identification within the next few months so that construction can commence before the monsoon season.
The announcement comes amid broader welfare initiatives by the state, and the housing department is working to ensure that funds are disbursed directly to beneficiaries’ accounts to prevent middlemen. The minister reiterated that the success of the scheme depends on community participation and grassroots-level transparency.
