Eligible women to receive Rs 4 lakh housing assistance: Himachal CM Sukhu

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said all eligible women registered with the state Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board will receive financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to construct houses.

He said the state government is launching an initiative to support widows, disabled women and 'ekal naris' (single women) by offering financial assistance to realise their dream of constructing their houses.

The chief minister also said the Board is implementing various welfare schemes, including financial aid for marriage, maternity benefits, education support, medical care, pensions, disability pensions, cremation expenses, relief for sudden deaths, hostel facilities and widow pensions.

"The financial assistance for house construction will include Rs 3 lakh for building the house and an additional Rs 1 lakh for constructing essential facilities like a kitchen, toilet and bathroom," he said.

"To avail this benefit, women must be registered with the Board and have completed at least 90 workdays in the last 12 months and their annual income should be less than Rs 2.50 lakh," he said.

Eligible women must apply for the scheme through the labour officer, submitting the required supporting documents. Once approved, the financial assistance will be directly transferred to the beneficiary's bank account, said Sukhu.

He further said the state government has worked over the past two years in a dedicated manner to uplift the underprivileged sections of the society.

"A new scheme to cover higher education expenses for children of widows up to the age of 27 is underway," he added.