Construction of permanent houses for hut dwellers was started as a pioneering initiative in 1975 in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, the 'Kalaignar Veedu Vazhangum Thittam' was launched in 2010 for achieving the goal of a hut-free Tamil Nadu. In the recent survey conducted for replacing huts with safe and permanent concrete houses in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, it has been found that approximately eight lakh huts continue to exist. Hence, to create a 'Hut-Free Tamil Nadu' by 2030, a new scheme called Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam is announced to construct eight lakh concrete houses in rural areas over the period of 6 years. In the first phase, one lakh new houses will be built at a unit cost of Rs.3.50 lakh per house during 2024-25.

Households listed in the “Housing for All” Survey database are eligible to be benefitted under this scheme, provided they possess Patta or ownership document for the house site. Households living in unobjectionable poromboke will be provided with house on regularisation of the ownership. Those who are not having house site, will be provided with free house site for construction of houses. 

Under this scheme, minimum plinth area of the house will be 360 sq.ft including kitchen, out of which 300 Sq.ft will be covered with RCC roofing and the remaining area 60 Sq.ft may be of RCC or any other type of roof with non-flammable materials as per the choice of the beneficiary. Roof with thatches and asbestos sheet are prohibited under any circumstances. In case of hilly areas, roof can be laid as per the choice of the beneficiary. Cost effective and fast track construction technologies will be permitted. The houses can be constructed preferably by the beneficiary. In case of beneficiary is aged or otherwise not able to execute the works themselves, this may be executed through vendors / facilitators. Payment to the beneficiaries will be through DBT model.