PM to inaugurate housing project for bidi workers in Solapur

Mumbai, June 23 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a housing project for bidi workers on ownership basis in Solapur on July two.

The housing project comprising 255 sq.ft houses for 10,000 bidi workers has been completed at the initiative of local CPM MLA Narsayya Adam.

Mr Adam, popularly called Adam master in Solapur mobilised the bidi workers to form housing societies, contributing Rs 20,000 each and helped them to avail central and state government grants. He is also working on the second phase of the project of providing homes to another 10,000 workers. Central and state grants of Rs 40,000 for each unit have already been sanctioned in this regard.

Talking to UNI, Mr Adam said the project has been built on a 450 acre land in Kumbhari gram panchayat about eight km away from Solapur city.

One building will comprise four houses of 255 sq.ft each constructed on 555 sq.ft land.

The project was conceived under the central government housing scheme for bidi workers. One tenement has been constructed at the cost of Rs 60,000 each -- Rs 20,000 share came from the bidi workers, Rs 20,000 each as subsidy from the state government and centre, he informed.

Mr Adam said there are 65,000 bidi workers living in slums in Solapur city, employed in 12 bidi factories situated in the city.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to launch a power grid project.

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