Hyderabad, Dec 23 (IANS): People in two tiny villages in Siddipet district woke up to a new beginning on Friday
as they stepped into newly constructed two-bed room houses built by Telangana government under its flagship scheme.

Nearly 500 families in Erravalli and Narsannapet villages moved from their huts and ''kutcha'' houses into permanent and independent dwellings equipped with all
facilities.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who adopted these two villages in his Gajwel constituency and vowed to turn them into model villages for the entire country,
inaugurated the new houses and other amenities on Friday morning.

Mass house warming ceremony was held at 7.53 a.m. amid chanting of Vedic hymns by as many as 600 ''purohits'' hired by the state government for the occasion where Chief
Minister Rao participated in various rituals.

A total of 380 houses in Erravalli and 200 in Narsannapet have been constructed at a cost of Rs 5.5 lakh each. While 489 houses were completed, the remaining were
expected to be ready next month.

The chief minister also inaugurated community hall and other facilities. He announced that the two villages will be developed as cashless villages.

With newly laid roads, sewer lines, uniform rows of newly built houses equipped with electricity and water supply, overhead tanks, toilets and bath rooms, both the
villages have totally transformed. The common amenities include community halls, play ground and park.

Under Mission Bhagiratha, another flagship scheme, all houses will be provided round-the-clock water and WiFi facility.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, announced that these villages will be completely self-reliant. The government is extending help to families to grow agriculture and
horticulture crops. Fruit bearing saplings were planted in the premises of the new houses.

The families were also being provided one milch buffalo and 20 country chicken each to help them earn a livelihood or increase their income.

The government plans to build 2.6 lakh double bed-room houses for poor in rural and urban areas across the state.