Context:
The Centre has relaxed the automatic exclusion criteria for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), allowing families with certain assets to avail of the rural housing scheme.
Relevance:
GS II- Welfare Schemes
Dimensions of the Article:
- Updated Guidelines for PMAY-Gramin:
- PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin)
Updated Guidelines for PMAY-Gramin:
- Eligibility Expansion: Families possessing specific assets, including two-wheelers, motorized fishing boats, refrigerators, landline phones, and earning up to Rs 15,000 monthly, can now participate in the rural housing scheme.
- Previous Barriers Removed: Such assets previously disqualified families from the scheme.
- Persistent Exclusions: Restrictions still apply to:
- Owners of motorized three or four-wheelers,
- Holders of mechanized agricultural equipment,
- Possessors of a Kisan Credit Card with limits over Rs 50,000,
- Individuals in government employment,
- Owners of registered non-agricultural businesses,
- Taxpaying households.
- Goals for Rural Development: Revised criteria support the government’s objective to construct an additional two crore rural houses by 2028-29.
- Progress to Date: Currently, 2.65 crore homes have been constructed, approaching the initial target of 2.95 crore under the Housing for All initiative.
PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin)
- PMAY-G is a rural housing program that aims to provide pucca houses with basic amenities to houseless households and those living in kutcha and dilapidated houses by 2022.
- It was introduced in 2016 to address gaps identified in the previous rural housing program, Indira Awas Yojana.
- The immediate objective is to cover 1 crore households living in kutcha and dilapidated houses by 2018-19.
- The program selects beneficiaries using housing deprivation parameters from the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, verified by Gram Sabhas.
Salient Features of PMAY-G:
- Minimum size of the house increased to 25 sq.mt with a hygienic cooking space.
- Increased unit assistance for construction, shared between the Central and State Governments.
- Leveraging convergence with other programs for assistance in toilet construction, piped drinking water, electricity connection, LPG gas connection, etc.
- National Technical Support Agency (NTSA) established for better quality construction.
- Training and certification program for masons launched.
- Implementation and monitoring through e-Governance model using Awaas Soft and Awaas App.
- Community participation through social audit and oversight by Member of Parliament (DISHA Committee).
