Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Monday announced the ‘Mera Ghar Mere Naam’ scheme to bestow proprietary rights on the people living in the houses within the ‘Lal Lakir’ of villages and cities. The entire exercise would be completed in two months.

Addressing the media here, the Chief Minister said earlier this scheme was launched only for the residents of villages, which is now being extended to the eligible residents of the cities within the ‘Lal Lakir’.

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He said the revenue department has been mandated to undertake drone surveys of such residential properties both in rural and urban areas for digital mapping. Subsequently, all the eligible residents after proper identification and verification would be given the property cards to confer proprietary rights upon them.

Prior to this, the beneficiaries would be given 15 days to file their objections in this regard and in case no reply is received from them, the property card would be issued which would serve the purpose of registry against which they can get loans from the banks or even sell their properties thus enhancing its monetary value.

The Chief Minister said that the people residing in a house in old localities for generations would also be covered under the scheme.

He pointed out that even NRIs, who had occupied such residential properties in villages or cities, would be duly informed to raise objections so as to give proprietary rights to them.

To safeguard the properties of NRIs settled across the globe, the Chief Minister said his government would soon bring legislation in this regard in the Vidhan Sabha. He announced that the ‘Girdawari’ of the agricultural land owned by them would be done in their names to prevent illegal or fraudulent sale of properties by unscrupulous elements.

On the issue of waiving the arrears of electricity bills up to 2 KW load, the Chief Minister asserted that everyone regardless of caste, creed and religion would get the benefit of the waiver.

He said out of 72 lakh consumers nearly 52 lakh across the state would be benefitted. He clarified that only those arrears mentioned in the last bill received by the consumer would be waived off.

Responding to a query regarding the acute coal shortage in the country, the Chief Minister said he had already taken up this issue with the Ministry of Coal to ensure adequate supply to avert the impending power crisis.

He assured that his government won’t let the state plunge into darkness despite scarcity of coal.