Panaji, Jun 15 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday handed over keys of houses in Canacona in south Goa to 20 beneficiaries.

The houses have been built by Balaram Charitable Trust, an organisation whose mentor is Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar.

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The below poverty line (BPL) families, who were living in huts till now, were handed over the keys to 20 houses by Birla in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik, among others.

Hailing the activities of the trust, Birla said India's strength was the ability to fight situations collectively, adding that communities come together to help people in need during crises.

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"Even developed nations were struggling to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But India showed its collective strength and set an example for the rest of the world," he said.

He said the way India is being viewed has changed due to how it tackled the pandemic and also helped other nations with its 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam' concept.

Tawadkar said his trust would build 100 more houses in one year and asserted that no one in his constituency will be without a home in five years.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)