Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, facing ED summons over alleged money laundering charges, has gone on an overdrive to woo the masses with a year left for the Assembly polls in the state.

While the state cabinet led by Soren on Wednesday gave nod to the Abua Awas Yojana (three-room pucca houses for rural homeless) at a cost of Rs 16,320 crore in the backdrop of recent allegation of the chief minister of Centre’s depriving nearly 8 lakh “eligible beneficiaries” of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Centre’s flagship scheme promising houses for all) benefits.

On Thursday afternoon, Soren announced the government’s intent to improve healthcare for state masses by inking a lease deed with Apollo Hospital Enterprises Limited which paved the way for laying the foundation stone of a multi-super speciality hospital on Jharkhand statehood day on November 15 (the day when Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000).

“Under the Abua Awas Yojana, a target has been set to construct eight lakh pucca houses for the homeless in three phases. In the first phase, two lakh houses will be constructed in the financial year 2023-24, 3.50 lakh houses 2024-25 and 2.50 lakh houses will be constructed in 2025-26. The housing will be constructed in three phases at a cost of Rs 16,320 crore,” read a communique issued by the chief minister’s secretariat on Wednesday late evening.

“Under Abua Awas Yojana, a three-room permanent house and kitchen will be built, having an area of 31 square meters. Under the scheme, provision has been made for a kitchen along with three rooms,” the communique further read.

“The benefit of the scheme will be extended to families living in kutcha houses, homeless and destitute families, families belonging to Specially Vulnerable Tribal Group, victims of natural calamities, and released bonded labourers. Those who have not been given the benefit of housing schemes run by the state and central government like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Rural/Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana etc shall be able to receive the benefits of the above-mentioned schemes.”