Puducherry, Feb 15 (UNI) The Puducherry administration is taking steps to construct houses for the economically backward Adi Dravidar families in the Union Territory, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy said today.

Talking to newspersons after inaugurating a website of the Puducherry Adi Dravidar Welfare Department here, the minister said that earlier, there was a scheme to provide Rs one lakh to Adi Dravidar families for the construction of houses.

However, it was noticed that 25 per cent of the people availing the facility were not constructing houses, but spending the money for other purposes, he said.

Following this, the government had decided to stop the provision of giving money, but construct houses for them, he added.

Accordingly, independent houses would be constructed in rural areas and tenements in town areas, the minister said.

A centralised kitchen had recently started in the Karaikal region to supply food to Adi Dravidar students, he said, adding that this facility would be made available at Villianur, Thattanchavady and Bahour in the Puducherry region in June.

The minister said steps would be taken to provide free bicycles to poor students in the community in the next academic year.

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