Centre approves 11.19 lakh pucca houses for Bihar

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday announced the approval of 11,18,937 pucca houses for poor families in Bihar under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with an allocation of Rs13,427 crore. Addressing a state-level programme of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Patna, Chouhan said the initiative would provide poor families with greater security, dignity and an improved quality of life. He handed over the sanction letter to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Chouhan said that 24,30,327 houses had been approved for Bihar over the past two years, involving a total expenditure of Rs29,164 crore. “A pucca house is not merely a structure of brick and cement. It is a symbol of dignity and confidence for an entire family,” Chouhan said. The Union minister announced that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will now be implemented in Bihar and compensation for farmers' losses will be provided. He said  the scheme would provide farmers protection against crop losses caused by floods, drought, excessive rainfall and other natural calamities.

बिहार में अब प्रधानमंत्री फसल बीमा योजना लागू होगी। किसान के नुकसान की भरपाई की जाएगी। pic.twitter.com/lyGrhq5xjM

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) August 20, 2026

Chouhan commended Bihar’s progress in creating digital Farmer IDs, stating that 53,83,000 farmer identity cards had already been generated in the state. He said the digital identification system would help streamline the delivery of government schemes, improve transparency and enable benefits to reach eligible farmers more efficiently.
Chouhan also criticised the Congress over the issue of singing Vande Mataram, alleging that singing only a portion of the national song amounted to disrespecting national sentiments. He said Vande Mataram was a matter of national pride and not an issue belonging to any particular political party. The song had served as a source of inspiration during India’s freedom movement, he said. Accusing the Congress and some other political parties of indulging in vote-bank politics, Chouhan alleged that symbols associated with India’s unity, culture and national identity were sometimes distorted for political gains. He said there could be no compromise on matters linked to national pride and called for Vande Mataram to be sung in its entirety.