Gangtok, Oct 19: For 50 families from economically weaker sections in Sikkim’s Namchi district, this year’s Dasain festival, the local name for Dussehra, will be special as they are set to receive new homes under a government scheme.
The handover of 50 houses under the Sikkim Garib Awas Yojana (SGAY) is scheduled to take place this week, offering the families the prospect of a more secure future, officials said.
The Block Administrative Centre (BAC) in Yangang is organising an inauguration programme for the newly constructed houses and the distribution of keys to the beneficiaries during the Dasain festivities, local MLA and Assembly Deputy Speaker Raj Kumari Thapa said.
For the beneficiary families, the handover marks more than the completion of a housing project, Thapa said.
“A house is more than a physical structure. It is a place where families create memories, children grow up, and generations come together. For households that have long aspired to own a permanent home, the keys represent not merely access to shelter but also the possibility of a more stable and dignified life,” she said.
Thapa credited Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s leadership for the initiative, describing it as an example of people-centred governance aimed at improving the lives of local communities.
The SGAY scheme seeks to provide housing assistance to eligible families, helping them move towards safer and more secure living conditions.
In a separate welfare measure, 14 beneficiaries who had not received the first instalment of Rs 20,000 under the Sikkim Aama Sashaktikaran Yojana, popularly known as Aama Yojana, were given the amount on Sunday. The annual assistance under the scheme is Rs 40,000. (PTI)
