A House Every Ten Minutes, 152 a Day: LIFE Mission Reaches Five Lakh Home Milestone

Thiruvananthapuram: On just three cents of land in Poojappura, a small but beautifully built house now stands as a symbol of resilience and renewed hope for Usha and her husband Surendran of Puthussery House. The modest two-room home, complete with a hall, a neatly tiled courtyard and flowering plants lining the compound wall, represents far more than a structure, it marks the fulfilment of a dream shaped by years of struggle and uncertainty.

For 53-year-old Usha, the new house is not merely a roof over her head, but a new beginning after a long period of hardship. Nearly fifteen years ago, the family was forced to sell their own home to meet mounting medical expenses. Since then, they had been moving from one rented house to another, holding on to the hope that one day they could once again call a place their own.

“I was always in and out of hospitals,” Usha recalls. Her life changed dramatically when a blood vessel in her brain ruptured almost two decades ago, leaving her unconscious for seven days. She eventually recovered after prolonged treatment at Sree Chitra Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, but the financial and emotional strain remained. “Owning a house had become only a distant wish in my heart. When we received a house under the LIFE Mission, the happiness was beyond words,” she says.

Today, the family describes their new home as a source of stability and dignity after years of uncertainty. “If this government had not been there, would we have received such a house? Not only us, many families here have benefited,” Usha says.
Usha at her new home built under the LIFE Mission in Thiruvananthapuram.

The LIFE Mission housing scheme was announced by the LDF government on May 23, 2017, with the objective of providing secure housing for homeless and landless families across Kerala. Over the years, the programme has grown into one of the state’s most significant welfare initiatives.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is scheduled to formally announce the milestone of five lakh houses at a function in Poojappura on the 24th. According to official figures available up to January 31, the construction of 4,82,736 houses has already been completed, while 1,17,874 houses are currently in various stages of construction across the state.

Officials said the release of the first instalment of 400 crore rupees from the HUDCO loan has significantly accelerated construction activities. With financial support now in place, more houses are expected to be completed during February, further speeding up the implementation of the scheme.

The total expenditure under the scheme has reached 20,638.16 crore rupees, of which 18,149.26 crore rupees has been borne by the state government. Data from the mission shows that an average of 152 houses are being built every day- roughly six houses every hour, or one house every ten minutes- reflecting the scale and pace of the housing initiative.

For families like Usha’s, the numbers translate into something simple: a permanent home after years of uncertainty.