Pune district has made land available for 863 landless tribal beneficiaries to build homes under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, while thousands of Katkari residents have received Aadhaar, caste and ration cards through a government service drive.
The figures were announced by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar at a press conference in Baramati during the Janjatiya Gaurav Seva Saptah, being observed across the state from November 11 to 18. The week is being held to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda, whose birth anniversary on November 15 is observed nationally as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.
Pune district has been given a target of 1,967 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan. Of these, 863 landless beneficiaries have been provided space for housing, according to the information presented at the press conference. The land allocation addresses one of the basic implementation barriers faced by families who are eligible for housing support but do not possess a plot on which to construct a home.
The administration has also begun the process of making land available to another 640 beneficiaries in seven talukas: Ambegaon, Bhor, Maval, Mulshi, Khed, Junnar and Rajgarh. The report did not specify the locations of the plots, the construction schedule for the houses or the amount of financial assistance attached to each housing beneficiary.
Documentation has been a parallel focus of the district’s service delivery effort. A total of 14,441 Aadhaar cards, 13,486 caste certificates and 11,170 ration cards have been distributed to members of the Katkari community in Pune district, according to the figures announced by the deputy chief minister. The documents are used to establish identity, access entitlements and connect households with welfare programmes.
The district has also facilitated 4,200 Ayushman cards, opened 971 Jan Dhan bank accounts and extended benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme to 485 residents. The figures indicate that the service drive is combining housing support with the administrative documentation needed to access health, banking, food security and income-related schemes.
The Integrated Tribal Development Project, Ghodegaon, is coordinating activities in Pune district during the service week. These include cheque distribution, memorial cleaning and a दीपोत्सव, a forest-produce food festival, cultural programmes, tribal gatherings, and health and nutrition awareness camps. Service camps are also being held to help residents obtain Aadhaar cards and other government documents.
Pawar urged tribal residents to participate in the programmes and use government schemes. The service-week activities and the ongoing land-allocation process are expected to continue through the November 11-18 programme period, with action on plots for the remaining 640 beneficiaries still underway.
