The quarters of central government employees are set to become bigger and better.
Ahead of the election season, the urban development ministry is planning to not just increase the houses' areas by an average of 25 per cent but also fit them out with modular kitchens and electric chimneys. The last time the housing norms were revised was in 1981.
During Janata Party rule in 1977, the government had asked the central public works department (CPWD) to scale down the sizes of the quarters and the amenities provided. The idea was to build more quarters in less time. A year after the Congress came back to power in 1980, it reverted to the old norms.
"We can say that this is the first time in (over) 30 years that the government is working on improving the living conditions of government employees," a senior CPWD official said.
