Union Minister Giriraj Singh held a press conference on Friday from the party platform as part of the BJP’s Social Justice Fortnight program. Giriraj Singh was nervous about the press conference as it was the first time he was addressing reporters at the BJP headquarters. In the press conference, Giriraj Singh was asked to talk on PM Awas Yojana. Giriraj Singh is known for his controversial remarks with a communal tone.
Before the press conference, he repeatedly told himself that he should stick to the plan. In the press conference, he compared the number of houses built during the time of the present government with that of the previous government. Giriraj Singh told that he will not take any question on any subject other than the housing scheme. Once the press conference was over, Giriraj Singh was heard thanking God and his stars for sticking to the topic and not touching on any controversial issue.
During the press conference, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, “During the Congress rule, 3.26 crore houses were built under Indira Awas Yojana in 60 years. But under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, in the last 8 years, 2.52 crore houses were built in rural areas while about 58 lakh houses were built in urban areas. The Congress government has built around 11 lakh houses annually, while the BJP-led NDA government is building around 35 lakh houses annually.
Giriraj Singh said that, “The central government has planned to build about 4.03 crore houses for the poor, but it was revised to 2.95 crore after getting feedback from the states. Uttar Pradesh has performed well in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna whereas the data from West Bengal is yet to come.”
The Union Minister said that, “38 lakh houses have been approved in Bihar, out of which 23 lakh houses have been completed in Bihar. While around 37 lakh houses have been sanctioned in West Bengal, the state government is yet to be informed about how many of these houses have been built.