Jaipur, Aug. 18 -- Union agriculture and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced sanction of 289,355 pucca houses for Rajasthan under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), involving an outlay of Rs.3,473 crore. Chouhan, who was in Baran for a state-level PMAY-G programme attended by chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, handed over the approval letter to the chief minister. He also handed over an approval letter for Rs. 340.59 crore for agricultural development initiatives and the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Chouhan said the sanction would help transform the lives of families living in kutcha houses and reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to providing pucca homes to the rural poor. He said a survey of 2,913,749 potential new PMAY-G beneficiaries had been completed in the state. After verification, houses would be sanctioned for eligible applicants. He directed authorities to display beneficiary lists at district and panchayat levels, invite objections and ensure eligible families were not excluded because of errors. Chouhan also announced changes to PMAY-G eligibility criteria. Families owning a two-wheeler will now be eligible for housing assistance. The monthly income ceiling for women beneficiaries has been raised from Rs.10,000 to Rs. 15,000. Small farmers owning up to five acres of unirrigated land or 2.5 acres of irrigated land will also be eligible. On women's economic empowerment, Chouhan said 1.6 million women in Rajasthan had become Lakhpati Didis and announced that the target would be doubled to 3.2 million. He said Rs.13,400 crore had been disbursed through banks to support women's entrepreneurial activities. Referring to the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G, Chouhan said the state had been given a Rs.12,000-crore development target for the next nine months. Each gram panchayat will have an annual target of Rs.80 lakh, with local communities deciding development priorities....