JANAKPURDHAM: Life for the 1,201 impoverished families in Siraha and Saptari districts in Mashesh province has now changed for the better, thanks to the various housing schemes run by the provincial government targeting such households.

For some years, these families had been living in mud and thatched houses. As soon as the monsoon season started, thatched roofs would leak, these families’ sleep would be lost all night during storms, and days were spent in fear of fire.

With the move from temporary thatched huts to permanent houses, the daily lives of these impoverished families have become safe and dignified.

Under the Madhesh Province government’s Janata Awas (People’s Housing), the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Vipanna Awas (Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Housing for the Poor), and the Vipanna Sangha Madan Bhandari Vipanna Awas (Madan Bhandari Housing for the Impoverished) programmes, 1,201 families from Siraha and Saptari have received permanent houses. It is becoming established as a social campaign to uplift the living standards of the Dalit, impoverished, and marginalized communities.

Most of the Dalit and impoverished families in these districts had been living in thatched huts for years.

“As soon as the rainy season started, water would leak inside the house, we had to endure extreme heat in the summer, and the risk of fire was a constant worry,” says Rashmadevi Ram, a resident of Siraha-9, Siraha district.

She said now, after receiving a permanent house, she is free from all worries. “I never dreamed I would get to sleep in a permanent house in this lifetime, but I am extremely happy to have received one,” Ram added.

The lives of the beneficiary families have undergone a significant transformation after receiving permanent houses under the government’s housing programme.

According to Jivachha Kumar Yadav, Sub-Engineer at the Infrastructure Development Office, Siraha, 612 families have benefited in Siraha through three housing schemes from the fiscal year 2021/22 to 2024/25.

Among these, 512 families have received permanent houses under the People’s Housing program, 69 under the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Vipanna Awas programme, and 31 under the Vipanna Sangha Madan Bhandari Vipanna Awas programme.

In Aurahi Rural Municipality of Siraha alone, 447 houses have been constructed and handed over under the Janata Awas program. Locals say this has greatly improved the housing conditions of the impoverished communities in the Aurahi area.

Similarly, the housing programme has been progressing effectively in Saptari as well. According to Ramakar Jha, Sub-Engineer at the Infrastructure Development Office, Saptari, 589 families have received new houses, including 515 under the Janata Awas program, 56 under the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Vipanna Awas programme, and 18 under the Vipanna Sangha Madan Bhandari Vipanna Awas programme.

With the new houses, many families have left their unsafe huts and started a dignified life, according to Jha. However, the programme is not yet fully completed. In Siraha, about 40 houses under the Janata Awas program and 27 houses under the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi programme are under construction.

In Saptari, although 791 houses have been contracted under the Janata Awas programme, only 515 have been completed so far, 288 are under construction, and the construction of 88 houses has not yet started, according to technician Jha.

According to him, out of 92 houses contracted under the Mahendra Narayan Nidhi programme, 56 are completed, 34 are under construction, and work on five is yet to begin.

Housing is not just constructing a shelter. It is a basic necessity connected to a family’s security, health, education, and dignity.

Krishna Dev Jha, Chief of the Infrastructure Office, Rajbiraj, Saptari, says that with safe houses, the environment for children to go to school has improved. According to him, women can now perform daily chores safely inside the house, and permanent houses have provided a comfortable life for the elderly and disabled.

The housing programme has also had a positive impact on poverty reduction, social inclusion, and the improvement of human development indicators, according to Chief Jha.

Jha said the construction work under the housing programme has not been able to proceed ahead at the expected pace due to difficulties in land management, lack of budget, and some pending administrative processes.

He states that it is challenging to operate the housing programmes as the market prices of construction materials increase significantly every year, but the budget for the housing schemes has not been increased.