Making housing accommodation available to poor at affordable rates across the state, the West Bengal government recently announced a new housing scheme ~ Adhikar ~ targeted at those living in the 11 notified backward districts of the state. The scheme will be funded by grants from the Centre under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF). The rural poor, who have a plot of their own and are not included in the list of Below Poverty Level (BPL) category populace, will be the eligible beneficiaries of the new scheme as they will get Rs 45,000 as a one-time aid for constructing a house with a toilet facility.
Adhikar will run parallel to other similar housing schemes for the poor such as Amar Bari, Nijo Bhumi Nijo Griho and the Indira Awas Yojana. At least 200 houses will be built in each of the Assembly constituencies lying in the 11 backward districts namely  ~ Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas.