Housing for all gets Rs 82,000 cr boost
Mar 24 2016 , New Delhi
Tags: Policy
Govt to use socio-economic data to spot beneficiaries
The central government’s ambitious ‘housing for all by 2022’ plan got its most major boost on Wednesday. The Union cabinet gave its green signal to prime minister Narendra Modi’s pet initiative to build one crore pucca houses in rural India with an investment of Rs 82,000 crore in the next three years.
Briefing newsmen, communications minister Ravishankar Prasad said all poor people — below or above poverty line — without houses or those living in dilapidated houses, would be eligible for financial assistance under the pradhan mantri awaas yojana (PMAY).
Huge investment planned for rural housing is expected to give a big boost to the construction industry, 250 other ancillary industries, generate millions of semi-skilled and unskilled job opportunities, apart from spreading transport services in rural areas.
The government expects that houses for rural poor would positively impact education and health apart from nutrition, sanitation and over all economic security.
President Pranab Mukherjee in his address to Parliament on May 2014 gave the first hint of government’s resolve to provide houses for all by 2022 with water, electricity, sanitation and access to public services.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley followed up this address with an action plan in his budget for 2014-15.
Under the project, rural houses would be built across the country, barring Delhi and Chandigarh, where the cost would be shared between the Centre and states in the ratio of 60:40.
In northeastern states and hilly areas, the Centre will pay for 90 per cent of the construction costs, while 10 per cent cost would be borne by states. Hitherto, Indira awaas yojana, under which assistance up to Rs 75,000 per household was available, would now be subsumed into the PMAY. Under the earlier scheme, about 351 lakh houses were built with an investment of over Rs 100,000 crore.
Under PMAY, Rs 1.2 lakh would be provided as assistance to those seeking to build houses on plains. This amount will be enhanced to Rs 1.3 lakh per family in inhospitable terrain and hilly areas. Apart from budgetary funds, additional finances worth Rs 21,975 crore will be mobilised through Nabard to be amortised through annual budgets after 2022.
The government will use socio-economic and caste census data of 2011 to identify rural beneficiaries for houses under the project. It will also set up a technical support agency to ensure that one crore houses are constructed. To ensure transparency, the government plans to get the list of beneficiaries vetted by gram sabhas. Village panchayats will offer reasons for any changes made to this list.
Briefing newsmen, communications minister Ravishankar Prasad said all poor people — below or above poverty line — without houses or those living in dilapidated houses, would be eligible for financial assistance under the pradhan mantri awaas yojana (PMAY).
Huge investment planned for rural housing is expected to give a big boost to the construction industry, 250 other ancillary industries, generate millions of semi-skilled and unskilled job opportunities, apart from spreading transport services in rural areas.
The government expects that houses for rural poor would positively impact education and health apart from nutrition, sanitation and over all economic security.
President Pranab Mukherjee in his address to Parliament on May 2014 gave the first hint of government’s resolve to provide houses for all by 2022 with water, electricity, sanitation and access to public services.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley followed up this address with an action plan in his budget for 2014-15.
Under the project, rural houses would be built across the country, barring Delhi and Chandigarh, where the cost would be shared between the Centre and states in the ratio of 60:40.
In northeastern states and hilly areas, the Centre will pay for 90 per cent of the construction costs, while 10 per cent cost would be borne by states. Hitherto, Indira awaas yojana, under which assistance up to Rs 75,000 per household was available, would now be subsumed into the PMAY. Under the earlier scheme, about 351 lakh houses were built with an investment of over Rs 100,000 crore.
Under PMAY, Rs 1.2 lakh would be provided as assistance to those seeking to build houses on plains. This amount will be enhanced to Rs 1.3 lakh per family in inhospitable terrain and hilly areas. Apart from budgetary funds, additional finances worth Rs 21,975 crore will be mobilised through Nabard to be amortised through annual budgets after 2022.
The government will use socio-economic and caste census data of 2011 to identify rural beneficiaries for houses under the project. It will also set up a technical support agency to ensure that one crore houses are constructed. To ensure transparency, the government plans to get the list of beneficiaries vetted by gram sabhas. Village panchayats will offer reasons for any changes made to this list.
http://www.mydigitalfc.com/policy/housing-all-gets-rs-82000-cr-boost-065
badarinath@mydigitalfc.com
badarinath@mydigitalfc.com
