The government of India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has launched various welfare schemes aimed towards the upliftment of society. One such initiative is the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), divided into two components; PMAY-Gramin and PMAY-Urban. Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated 5.21 lakh houses constructed under the PMAY-Gramin scheme in Madhya Pradesh.
Understanding Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna Gramin
This scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Rural Development on April 1st, 2016. It was essentially a restructured version of the previously implemented Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) with a clear mission to achieve “Housing for All” by 2022.
Objectives and Beneficiaries of PMAY-Gramin
Two major objectives guide the PMAY-G scheme. Firstly, it aims to provide a concrete house with basic facilities to all rural families living without a home or in poorly constructed or dilapidated houses by the end of March 2022. Secondly, the scheme aspires to assist people below the poverty line in the construction of living units and renewal of degraded houses, offering full grants as assistance.
PMAY-G extends its benefits primarily to individuals from Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SCs/STs), freed bonded labourers, non-SC/ST communities, next-of-kin of slain defence personnel, retired military servicemen, disabled individuals, and minorities. The selection process for beneficiaries involves a three-stage validation using the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011, Gram Sabha, and geo-tagging.
Financial Aspects and Features of PMAY-Gramin
The cost of unit assistance under PMAY-G is shared between the Central and State Governments in a 60:40 ratio for plain areas, and a 90:10 ratio for North Eastern and hilly states. The provided house size has been increased to 25 sq.m from the previous 20 sq.m with an inclusion of a hygienic cooking space. The unit assistance has also seen a rise from Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 1.20 lakh in plains and from Rs. 75,000 to Rs. 1.30 lakh in hilly states. Furthermore, the scheme ensures convergence with government programs like Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS for elements like toilets, piped drinking water, electricity connection, LPG gas connection etc.
What is Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban?
PMAY-Urban was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 25th June 2015 with an intent to provide housing for everyone in urban areas by 2022.
Main Features and Beneficiary Segmentation of PMAY-Urban
The mission of PMAY-Urban primarily addresses the shortage of urban housing, particularly among the urban poor and slum dwellers, by providing them with a proper house. It covers extensive urban territories including Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities, and other bodies functioning under State legislation and responsible for urban planning and regulations. Every house built under this initiative comes equipped with basic amenities such as toilets, water supply, electricity, and kitchen facilities.
Additionally, the scheme promotes women empowerment by giving house ownership to female family members or making it joint ownership. A special preference is given to differently-abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Minority, single women, transgender people and other weaker sections of society.
The Four Verticals of PMAY-Urban
The PMAY-Urban scheme is divided into four verticals: the In-situ Rehabilitation for existing slum dwellers using land as a resource through private participation, Credit Linked Subsidy, Affordable Housing in Partnership, and Beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.
