Amaravati, Jun 4 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday virtually launched the construction works for his ambitious social welfare housing project, YSR Jagananna Colonies.

In the first phase, which was launched on Thursday, construction of 15,60,227 houses will be taking place at a cost of Rs 28,084 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that 30.76 lakh house sites were distributed for the homeless poor, something which no state government has attempted so far.

Referring to the 2011 Census, the Chief Minister said that of the state's total population of 4.95 crore, almost 1.24 lakh people will be having their own house.

Each house is being constructed in a 340 square feet area, complete with a bedroom, hall, kitchen, bathroom and porch. Every house will also be provided with two fans, two tube lights, four bulbs and a water tank.

To monitor the process, the Chief Minister has designated a joint collector in each district, apart from the the existing joint collectors.

The construction of houses will take place in a phased manner, with a total of 28,30,227 houses to be constructed at a cost of Rs 50,944 crore.

In Phase 1, 15.60 lakh houses are to be constructed by June 2022, while 12.70 lakh houses will be constructed by 2023 as part of Phase 2.