PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G)

PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G)

Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), 92% target of completion has been achieved in the 1st phase of the scheme i.e. from 2016-17 to 2018-19. The government is confident that all the houses in the Permanent Wait List (PWL) would be completed by the end of Amrut Mahtosava. The Ministry of Rural Development has informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee about the progress of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin.

What is PMAY-G?

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana a flagship programme of the Government of India, created by the Indian Government, to provide housing for the rural poor in India. A similar scheme for urban poor was launched in 2015 as Housing for All by 2022. However, the completion of the construction target was only 55%. Even though there was sanctioning of money for almost 85% of beneficiaries.

What are the Key Features of PMAY-G

The scheme PMAY-G contains several significance. Some of them are-

• Addresses Urban housing shortage among the Urban Poor including the Slum Dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to eligible urban poor.
• The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations.
• All houses under PMAY(U) have basic amenities like toilet, water supply, electricity and kitchen.
• The Mission promotes women empowerment by providing the ownership of houses in the name of female members or in joint name.
• Preference is also given to differently abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, Minority, single women, transgender and other weaker & vulnerable sections of the society.

Impact of Covid-19 on PMAY-G scheme

• Due to the adverse impact of COVID-19, only 5.4% of sanctioned houses under the Central government’s flagship rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, reached completion for the year 2020-21
• In 2019, it used to take an average of 114 days to construct a house under the scheme. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused long delays at every stage in 2020-21.
• Some states such as Odisha and Jharkhand have completed around 10% of the houses sanctioned in 2020-21. It has also used the scheme to provide employment opportunities for migrant workers who had returned to their villages during the crisis.
• But a number of other states such as Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka did not see completed construction of even a single house that was sanctioned during 2020-21.