Raipur. Drive through Bilaspur, a fast-growing city in Chhattisgarh, and you will find it hard to ignore construction sites. Residential and commercial buildings, malls shopping complexes and other construction works dominate the urban landscape. Yet the workforce that shapes the physical environment around us lives in informal settlements, in homes they have built for themselves. In an emerging settlement in Bilaspur, away from the leafy lanes of the city. Laxmi Prasad and his wife built a two-room mud house for their family of six. Like millions of urban poor who live on the margins, Laxmi Prasad and his family have recorded a triumphant journey, building their own home with their own hands by negotiating access to rights and amenities and finding solutions to make it resilient. It may be a modest home, unlike the sprawling houses Laxmi Prasad built as a construction worker, but a home, no matter how small, is shelter, a commodity and an investment.
Over the past few years, Laxmi Prasad and his family have felt the need for a bigger home to accommodate the needs of all members. Keen to improve their living conditions, Laxmi Prasad took a proactive step and visited the Labour Resources Department in his town. When he heard about the Mukhyamantri Nirman Shramik Awas Yojana, a scheme of the Labour Department of Chhattisgarh that provides housing assistance to construction workers, he immediately started gathering the necessary documents to support his application.
After a short wait, Laxmi Prasad’s application was approved and the family received Rs 1,00,000 from the Labour Department. This seed fund proved to be life-changing. It not only cemented the family’s dream of owning a permanent home but also strengthened their belief that such a home was within their reach. The family collectively pooled their money in addition to the government assistance and began building a safe and permanent home. It was a pivotal moment in their lives that marked the journey towards a more secure and comfortable living environment.
Laxmi Prasad’s story highlights the positive outcomes that can be achieved through targeted social security schemes like the Mukhyamantri Nirman Shramik Awas Yojana. They not only provide and upgrade physical shelter, but also enhance a sense of dignity, empowerment and hope for a brighter future. By strengthening social protection systems and ensuring equitable access to housing assistance, we can pave the way for more inclusive and sustainable growth.
