Over 2.5 Lakh and Counting: Kerala Govt’s LIFE Mission Seeks to House Homeless

A safe and secure house would be the dream for everyone, especially the homeless. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has stood up with the homeless and come up with a programme called “LIFE Mission” which has resulted in the construction of over 2.5 lakh new homes. Life Mission is a flagship housing project that envisages total housing for all homeless in the southern state.

The LIFE (Livelihood, Inclusion, Financial Empowerment) Mission does not only involve providing the homeless with a roof, but a complete rehabilitation package for the homeless and landless in the state.

A milestone in the ambitious project was reached with the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijyayan-led LDF government in Kerala on Thursday announcing the completion of 2.5 lakh new houses under the LIFE Mission programme.

Declaring the completion of 2,50,547 houses across the state, CM Vijayan said it was a matter of pride for his government and that their objective was to provide a home for all. The government also has plans to construct additional 1.5 lakh new houses this year itself and the state is confidently marching towards the goal of zero-homeless Kerala, he said in a Facebook post.

“Owning a home by his or her own is a dream of any human being. One of the most significant goals of this government was to stand with people to make this dream a reality,” he said. Terming the LIFE Mission an “unparalleled housing development project,” the CM said it was an example of the government''s vision of how development should be done.

Ever since the current LDF government had come to power, its focus had been on the basic needs of common people, including secure housing for all, universal access to a better healthcare system and quality education for all.

The Life Mission is being implemented in three phases across the state. The first phase of the mission focused on completing houses that had been unfinished under various schemes between 2000-01 and 2015-16. As part of this phase, 52,607 houses had been completed out of a total of 54,173 as of January 18 this year. For the first phase alone the state government had spent more than Rs 670 crore, as per government data.

The second phase of the mission is focused on building houses for families that own land. In this phase, 92,213 families had applied for government assistance. Out of this number, 87,711 houses have already been built.

Life Mission Progress

The third phase of the mission focuses on building houses for landless families. The government is expected to find land and will build apartments. A total of 1,35,769 beneficiaries have been identified for the phase and 3,174 families have been given houses as of January 18.

Apartment complexes which could accommodate 217 families were built in Adimali of Idukki district as a pilot project. A total of 163 families have already had houses allotted to them. The complex has a primary healthcare centre, an anganwadi and livelihood facilities for the residents.

The government has been paying great attention to the third phase of the ambitious initiative and land has been identified for the construction of 85 complexes at this time. Of this, the construction of five building complexes is expected to be completed within two months.

CM Vijayan said that the goal of the government was to achieve the goal of a home for all who deserved it and that the Life Mission project was part of their vision of how development should be done.