The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), an initiative for urban housing under the Government’s mission ‘Housing for All by 2022’, recently marked seven years of successful implementation. Since its inception, PMAY-Urban has approved and built more than 1.22 crore houses with a significant investment exceeding Rs. 8.31 Lakh Crore.
Understanding Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – Urban
Implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), PMAY seeks to make home loans affordable for the urban poor. The scheme extends a subsidy on interest rates during loan repayment through equated monthly installments (EMIs).
Eligibility and Beneficiaries of PMAY – Urban
The scheme primarily targets the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Groups (MIG I & II) of urban society including slum dwellers. A beneficiary family typically includes husband, wife, and unmarried children.
The Four Verticals of PMAY-U
PMAY-Urban comprises of four main categories:
1. In Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR)
2. Affordable Housing through Credit Linked Subsidy (CLSS)
3. Affordable Housing Through Partnership (AHP)
4. Beneficiary-led individual house construction (BLC)
Each vertical has specific criteria and benefits to facilitate affordable housing for eligible urban residents.
PMAY-U’s Demand-driven Approach
PMAY-U adopts a demand-driven approach where the requirement for housing is determined based on assessments made by States/Union Territories. It is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), except for the CLSS vertical, which is executed as a Central Sector Scheme.
Geotagging Guideline and Importance
Under PMAY-U guidelines, it is mandatory for state governments to geotag all houses under the scheme to Bhuvan HFA application. Geotagging enables adding geographical identification to various media, facilitating accessibility of housing for beneficiaries.
Women Empowerment under PMAY-U
The Mission propels women empowerment by ensuring that most of the houses are under female or joint ownership. Special preference is given to widows, single women, SC/ST/OBC, minorities, persons with disabilities, and transgender people.
Key Initiatives under PMAY-U
Initiatives under PMAY-U include:
1. Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs): A sub-scheme providing dignified rental housing close to workplaces in urban settings.
2. Global Housing Technology Challenge: This initiative identifies and mainstreams innovative, eco-friendly, sustainable, and disaster-resilient constructions technologies from around the globe to fortify the housing construction sector.
3. CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP): A unified platform to connect all stakeholders including MoHUA, Central Nodal Agencies, Primary Lending Institutions, Beneficiaries, and Citizens in a real-time environment. The portal streamlines the application processes and enables beneficiaries to track their subsidy status.
