Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday released financial assistance of around Rs 2,691 crores to 6.1 lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh. The aid was provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G), via video conferencing.

Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present on the occasion.

"We've seen the situation during the regime of previous governments. I am talking about Uttar Pradesh especially, the poor didn't believe that the govt can help them in constructing a house. The previous Awaas schemes, the kind of houses built under them, were not hidden from anyone," PM Modi said.

"In the past few years, around 2 crore houses have been built in rural areas alone. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana keys of 1.25 crore houses have been handed over to people. Around ₹1.50 Lakh Crores has been given by the Central Govt alone, to build these houses," PM Modi added.

The assistance includes release of first instalment to 5.30 lakh beneficiaries and second instalment to 80,000 beneficiaries who have already availed of the first instalment of assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G).

PM Modi had given a call of Housing for All by 2022, for which a flagship programme of PMAY-G was launched on November 20, 2016. So far 1.26 crore houses have already been built across the country under the scheme, an official release said.

Under PMAY-G, each beneficiary is given 100% grant of Rs 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly states, North Eastern States, difficult areas, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, among others.

The beneficiaries of PMAY-G are also provided support of unskilled labour wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and assistance of ₹ 12,000 for construction of toilets through the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding.