Balod (Chhattisgarh), March 28 (IANS) : Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the flagship scheme of the Modi government, is assisting lakhs of economically weaker sections and low-income families in building pucca houses (permanent residence) of their own. The transformational change in people’s lives is visible on the ground. An Awas Utsav programme was organised in Chhattisgarh’s Balod district on Friday, where hundreds of PMAY beneficiaries participated and got the benefits of the path-breaking scheme. Many beneficiaries from the rural areas were handed over certificates and house keys during the programme. The beaming faces and broad smiles on the faces of beneficiaries summed up their happiness and excitement on moving to pucca houses. Notably, the development comes days ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Bilaspur district in the state. PM Modi is set to lay the foundation stone, initiate commencement of work and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects related to power, oil and gas, rail, road, education and housing sectors worth over Rs 33,700 crore. A Griha Pravesh ceremony for about 3 lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) will also be held, where the Prime Minister will hand over the keys to some of the beneficiaries. The Awas Utsav programme in Balod was attended by Collector Indrajit Singh Chandrawal, CEO District Panchayat Dr Sanjay Kannauje, BJP District President Cheman Deshmukh, District Panchayat Vice President Tomman Sahu and other administration officials. As per official estimates, about 2, 843 beneficiaries will be given pucca houses in Balod district. More than 50,000 applications for housing benefits have been approved so far. Under the PMAY-G scheme, a cumulative target of 3.79 crore houses has been allotted to States/UTs in the country, out of which 3.34 crore houses have been sanctioned and 2.69 crore houses have been completed.