Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu set an ambitious target to complete 10 lakh houses by March 2026, with a strong focus on providing housing for every poor family in the state. During a review meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday, he directed officials to hand over 300,000 houses next month and an additional 200,000 by Sankranti.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to expedite all housing projects and categorise them into A, B, and C for efficient execution. He also called for a comprehensive survey to be completed within 15 days to identify all homeless families. Officials are tasked with locating land for these families, 3 cents in rural areas and 2 cents in urban areas.

The government plans to spend Rs 2,013.50 crore on housing projects this year. Under schemes like PMAY-Urban, PMAY-Gramin, and PM Janman, a total of 1,859,504 homes were sanctioned, with 951,351 already completed. This year, 281,000 new homes have been built, and another 19,000 are expected next month.

The CM also reviewed the progress of TIDCO homes, noting that of the 454,706 units tendered in 2018, 177,546 are complete. Construction on the remaining 84,094 TIDCO homes is now in its final phase.

To improve living conditions in completed housing layouts, an additional Rs 3,296.58 crore will be allocated for essential infrastructure upgrades, including roads and drainage, in 4,305 sites where more than half of the homes are finished.

Funds are being disbursed to beneficiaries, with Rs 16.37 crore already released to 4,647 beneficiaries in the Kuppam constituency. A further Rs 919.29 crore is set to be transferred to 273,709 beneficiaries statewide. The meeting also addressed challenges, including 184,510 beneficiaries under PMAY-Urban who have yet to begin construction.