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Shaji shifts PM housing branding stance
The Free Press Journal - Mumbai
|June 29, 2026
Kerala’s housing policy debate has sharpened after Local Self-Governments Minister K. M. Shaji said the state was not opposed to displaying the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana emblem on houses built with support under the Union government's flagship housing scheme.
The statement has triggered criticism from the Opposition, which accused the United Democratic Front government of retreating from Kerala's earlier position that permanent branding on private homes could undermine the dignity and privacy of beneficiaries. Shaji has denied reports that he supported displaying Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photograph on houses, saying his remarks were limited to the PMAY emblem and had been misrepresented.
This story is from the June 29, 2026 edition of The Free Press Journal - Mumbai.
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