Around 315 beneficiaries received their cheques, amounting to a total of Rs19 million, under the Roof Slab Grant Scheme on 13 April 2018 during a ceremony held at Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis. The Minister of Housing and Lands, Mr Purmanund Jhugroo was presebt on the occasion.
The Roof Slab Grant Scheme is an ongoing project of the Ministry of Housing and Lands in collaboration with the National Housing Development Company, with objective to provide financial assistance to low-income families for the casting of roof slabs to complete their housing project as well as to strengthen social and cultural integration of these families.
The Scheme also encourages self-help construction of housing units by families at the lower rung of the ladder who already own a plot of land and are having difficulties to construct a concrete housing unit.
In his address, Minister Jhugroo highlighted that several measures have been undertaken by Government to enable low-income families to benefit from various schemes adding that his Ministry has already disbursed some Rs 50 million in this endeavour. He pointed out that Budget 2015-2016 has provided for an increase in the grant for casting of roof slab from Rs 65 000 to Rs 75 000 for households earning a monthly income of up to Rs 10 000. Mr Jhugroo also underlined that households earning a monthly income between Rs 10 001 to Rs 15 000, benefit from a grant of up to Rs 40 000.
Moreover, the Minister stressed that the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and Negative Income Tax allowance will help to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, reduce wealth inequality and alleviate poverty in the country. Government has already planned the construction of some 6 600 housing units and is targeting the construction of 10 000 housing units in the coming years, in line with its mission to eradicate poverty by providing a decent house to socially and economically disadvantaged families, he added.
Source: Government of Mauritius