Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on August 20, announced the approval of 11,18,937 pucca houses for poor families in Bihar under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), with an allocation of Rs 13,427 crore.
Chouhan made the announcement while addressing a state-level PMAY programme in Patna, where he handed over the sanction letter to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
The programme was attended by senior ministers, public representatives, government officials and beneficiaries.
Chouhan said the housing initiative was aimed at providing poor families with greater security, dignity and an improved quality of life. He emphasised that a pucca house should not be viewed merely as a physical structure but as an important component of household security.
More than 24 lakh houses approved in two years
Chouhan said a total of 24,30,327 houses had been approved for Bihar over the past two years, involving an overall expenditure of Rs 29,164 crore.
He said the government’s housing programme was focused on improving the living conditions of poor families and ensuring that the benefits of welfare schemes reached intended beneficiaries.
“A pucca house is not merely a structure of brick and cement. It is a symbol of dignity and confidence for an entire family,” Chouhan said.
According to the minister, pucca houses can provide greater protection to families from extreme weather conditions, including heat, cold, rain and storms.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to providing permanent houses to poor families was being implemented on a large scale in Bihar.
Chouhan also highlighted the government’s emphasis on transparency in welfare delivery. He said funds were being transferred directly to intended beneficiaries and described benefits under government schemes as the rightful entitlement of poor families rather than charity.
Crop insurance gets focus
The Union minister also highlighted the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Bihar.
He said the crop insurance scheme would provide farmers with financial protection against crop losses caused by natural calamities and adverse weather conditions, including floods, drought and excessive rainfall.
Under the scheme, eligible farmers can receive compensation for covered crop losses, helping reduce the financial risks associated with agricultural production.
Chouhan described farmers as the backbone of India’s food security and said the Centre and Bihar government were working together to make agriculture more remunerative and resilient.
He pointed to crop insurance, procurement support and access to technology as important elements of the broader strategy to strengthen farm incomes.
“If the farmer is strong, the village will be strong; and if the village is strong, Bihar will be strong,” Chouhan said.
He also urged farmers to understand the benefits available under the crop insurance programme and make timely use of the scheme.
Women’s Self-Help Groups highlighted
Women’s economic empowerment was another major focus of the minister’s address.
Chouhan highlighted the contribution of women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to Bihar’s rural economy and said lakhs of women were progressing through group-based economic activities.
He said many women had become Lakhpati Didis through self-employment and collective enterprises.
The government, he said, was seeking to increase women’s incomes by strengthening self-employment opportunities, group-based enterprises and access to banking and financial services.
Chouhan said higher incomes for women could have a wider impact on household welfare and contribute to the economic and social development of rural communities.
She-Marts planned to expand market access
Chouhan also stressed the need to provide better markets for products manufactured by women’s Self-Help Groups.
He said efforts would be made to establish She-Marts in every district, providing Jeevika Didis and other women entrepreneurs with dedicated platforms to sell their products.
The objective is to address one of the major challenges faced by rural enterprises — access to reliable and larger markets.
“Products made in villages can succeed only when there is a proper market for them,” Chouhan said.
He said support for product development, packaging and marketing could help rural women increase the value of their products and improve their incomes.
The initiative is expected to complement the wider effort to strengthen women-led enterprises and create more sustainable livelihood opportunities through Self-Help Groups.
Bihar crosses 53 lakh Farmer IDs
Chouhan also praised Bihar’s progress in creating digital Farmer IDs.
According to the minister, 53,83,000 Farmer Identity Cards had already been generated in the state.
The digital identification system is intended to help streamline the delivery of agricultural and welfare schemes, improve transparency and ensure that benefits reach eligible farmers more efficiently.
Chouhan expressed confidence that the registration of the remaining farmers would be completed soon.
Digital Farmer IDs are part of the government’s wider effort to create more integrated digital databases for agriculture and improve the targeting and delivery of farmer-related schemes.
Roads, housing and agriculture identified as rural development pillars
Chouhan described roads, housing and agriculture as three key pillars of rural development.
He said better road connectivity would help villages connect with markets, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential services.
Pucca houses, meanwhile, would provide families with greater security and stability, while a stronger agricultural sector would help improve rural incomes.
The minister highlighted the role of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in strengthening rural connectivity.
Improved roads can also support agricultural activity by making it easier for farmers to transport produce to markets and access inputs and services.
Chouhan said the Centre and Bihar government were working together to accelerate development in the state’s villages and strengthen Bihar’s contribution to India’s broader economic growth.
He stressed that coordination between the Centre and state government would remain important for implementing development programmes effectively.
Chouhan raises Vande Mataram issue
During his address, Chouhan also criticised the Congress over the issue of singing Vande Mataram.
He alleged that singing only a portion of the national song amounted to disrespecting national sentiments and said Vande Mataram was a matter of national pride rather than an issue associated with any particular political party.
Chouhan said the song had played an important role in inspiring people during India’s freedom movement.
He also accused the Congress and some other political parties of engaging in vote-bank politics and alleged that symbols associated with India’s unity, culture and national identity were sometimes subjected to political controversy.
He said there should be no compromise on issues linked to national pride and called for Vande Mataram to be sung in its entirety.
Senior Bihar ministers attend programme
The Patna programme was attended by several senior Bihar ministers and public representatives.
Those present included Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar, Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Vinod Kumar Jaiswal, Cooperation Minister Ramkripal Yadav, Minister Sunil Kumar, Rural Works Minister Savita Gupta, the Social Welfare Minister and other public representatives.
Government officials and beneficiaries also participated in the programme.
Housing and livelihoods at the centre of rural development push
The announcement of nearly 11.19 lakh new houses places rural housing at the centre of the government’s latest development push in Bihar.
The Rs 13,427 crore allocation under PMAY is accompanied by a wider focus on agricultural risk protection, digital identification of farmers, rural roads and women-led enterprises.
The government’s approach links these interventions as part of a broader rural development framework, providing households with permanent housing, farmers with protection against crop losses and digital access to government schemes, and rural women with opportunities for income generation and entrepreneurship.
With more than 24.30 lakh houses approved in Bihar over the past two years, Chouhan said the Centre’s focus would remain on expanding development programmes and ensuring that their benefits reach rural households.
The government has also placed increasing emphasis on improving market access for rural products and strengthening women’s participation in the rural economy through Self-Help Groups.
Together, housing, farm support, rural connectivity and women-led enterprises form key components of the Centre’s development agenda for Bihar’s villages.
