Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme Becomes the Livelihood Foundation for Rural Women’s Groups

Self-Employment Launched by Renting Centering Materials

Raipur : The Prime Minister’s Rural Housing Scheme has now evolved beyond merely providing homes—it’s become a powerful tool for economic empowerment of rural women. In Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, women from the Bara Haldi and Midmida villages in the Pusaur block have leveraged this scheme as a source of self-employment.

The Sudha Mahila Gram Sangathan and Chandrahasini Mahila Sankul, with the support of local women’s self-help groups, pooled resources to purchase centering materials used in construction. They now rent these materials to Prime Minister’s housing construction sites. This venture provides them with a steady income and has significantly uplifted their standard of living.

When the organization began in 2019, it consisted of just 10 self-help groups; today, that number has grown to 18, involving nearly 200 women directly. To acquire the centering materials, the organization took a loan of ₹420,000, which is now being used in PM housing projects.

The women say that the grants they received under the Bihan (Bihan Agriculture) Scheme, along with the growing demand for PM housing, have created sustainable employment opportunities for them. They expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, noting that these government programs have shown them the path to becoming self-reliant.