Mamata Banerjee announces housing scheme for five lakh people

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced a slew of projects, including a housing scheme for five lakh people and a mega Rs 3,000- crore road, for the development of rural Bengal. Five lakh people of the state would get houses under the the state government's "Bangla Gramin Abas Yojna" on January 29, she said, adding that another three lakh had received assistance for building houses under the "Geetanjali" scheme. The chief minister said this after inaugurating the "Mati Utsav" (soil festival) here to promote the farm sector. Banerjee also announced a Rs 3,000-crore north-south corridor project which will pass through Bardhaman district, and a Rs 2,768-crore project to extend the reach of the irrigation facilities to the western districts of the state.