Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik issued land ownership certificates to 65,000 poor families living in slums in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, and Rourkela on 28 August 2023. At a programme organised at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Patnaik said the poor people have the first right in the city. “
The land certificate was provided under the JAGA(Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission) Mission of the Odisha government.
Speaking on the occasion the chief minister said financial assistance will also be provided to the beneficiaries for construction of houses. The second phase of the certificate will be issued in October.
Under the JAGA mission more than 2,40,000 families in different cities of the state have received land rights.
Along with this, 40,000 families have been given assistance for building houses in the aim of achieving slum-free Odisha.
The Govt. of Odisha in May 2018 launched JAGA Mission based on the Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2017. It is the world’s largest slum titling and upgradation initiative.
It aims to make Odisha the first state in India to be slum free by the end of 2023.
Odisha government’s slum improvement and land titling programme ,
JAGA(Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission) Mission has won the UN-Habitat’s World Habitat Awards 2023 .
This is the second time that the programme has received the UN-Habitat’s World Habitat Award. In 2019, the project received the World Habitat Awards for its success in providing land tenure security to slum dwellers.