By PTI
PATHANAMTHITTA: Aranmula residents Jasmine and Haneefa have been making preparations for his or her long-cherished dream of occurring haj and have been ready to promote their land to lift funds for the journey once they had second ideas.
Instead, the couple, married for over three many years, determined to donate its 28-cent ancestral land to LIFE Mission, the State authorities’s flagship housing scheme for the landless.
The couple’s resolution got here after it noticed the plight of a neighbour-family dwelling on a rented premises and located it tough to cremate the physique of a member of the family who died just lately.
“We were planning to sell our property and use the funds for haj pilgrimage. But, in the past couple of months, we saw some incidents in which certain families find it difficult to cremate their family members as they don’t own a property. Such incidents made us rethink our Haj plans,” Haneefa informed PTI.
He mentioned just lately, an individual handed away in his locality and a neighborhood chief donated his 4 cents of land to that household to conduct final rites and cremation.
“After that incident, we decided to make use of the land to help the needy instead of going for haj,” Haneefa mentioned.
Local Self-Government Minister M V Govindan hailed the choice of the couple and mentioned it was an inspiration to society.
Minister Govindan mentioned the couple was an inspiration to the ahead journey of society which must embrace each human being.
“People like Haneefa and Jasmine have set an example of humanity and are role models for society,” Govindan mentioned.
Health Minister Veena George on Sunday visited the home of 57-year-old Haneefa and acquired the settlement at hand over the property for the Life Mission from the couple on behalf of the Aranmula Grama panchayat.
The land, owned by 48-year-old Jasmine, was acquired beneath the ‘manasodithiri mannu’ marketing campaign of the Left authorities, Govindan mentioned.
“Till now, the government has received 926.75 cents of land in 13 locations for the Life Mission scheme. Also in 30 locations, 830.8 cents of land have been assured for the Life Mission. The project has also received a sponsorship of Rs 25 crore to construct 1,000 houses,” the Minister mentioned.
Govindan mentioned he hopes extra folks would come ahead to assist the poor and draw inspiration from the couple.
The Left authorities has until now handed over 2,95,006 homes to beneficiaries beneath the Life Mission scheme, he mentioned.
He additionally added that 34,374 homes are at the moment beneath development.
There are 27 housing complexes which are additionally beneath development, he mentioned.