Lucknow: In response to an appeal made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for increased housing provisions for rural residents, the state has been granted an additional 144,220 houses for the financial year 2023–24 under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojna-Gramin' (PMAY-G) by the Centre. This decision will raise the total number of completed houses in the state to 2,168,574. On May 18, 2023, CM Yogi requested the Union Ministry of Rural Development to assign additional housing targets. Responding positively to CM Yogi's initiative, the Ministry of Rural Development wrote a letter to the State Government's Rural Development Department, informing them about the approval, according to state authorities. The letter confirms that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had requested an additional target in a letter sent in May 2023. "We are pleased to inform you that, with the approval of the competent authority in the Ministry of Rural Development, additional targets of 144,220 houses from the finalized Awaas+ lists have been allocated to your State for the financial year 2023-24," states the letter. The letter also emphasizes that, in accordance with the scheme's focus, the state is required to allocate at least 60% of the targets to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, subject to their availability in the housing database. Furthermore, the state is requested to finalize the targets at the District, Block, GP levels, and according to categories, as outlined in the User Manual on Housing issued by the Ministry. The Ministry of Rural Development's letter further urges the state to issue necessary instructions to all Districts, Blocks, and GPs within the state to set targets on AwaasSoft, as per the User Manual, and expedite the approval of these houses to ensure timely completion. Additionally, the state is requested to sanction houses to eligible families within one month, specifically by August 13, 2023. The letter also notes that the Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the scheme until March 2024 to accomplish the remaining houses within the overall target of 295 million houses. Centre Unveils Mission Karmayogi, Empowering Mid-Career Training Initiatives UP CM Attends Public Grievances, Effective Welfare Scheme in Focus