Objective:
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- It was launched in 2015 with objective of ‘Housing for all’.
- To promote sustainable and affordable housing.
Features:
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- It works on demand driven approach i.e. need for housing is based on demand assessment by state/Uts.
- Time period: Initially it was seven years from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22. Now it has been extended upto 31st December 2024 with all verticals except Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), for competition of already sanctioned houses till 31st March 2022.
- The scheme is divided in 4 verticals:
| In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) | Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) | Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) | Beneficiary led construction (BLC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| • It is centrally sponsored. | • It is a central sector scheme. | • It is a centrally sponsored scheme. | • It is centrally sponsored. |
| • Slum rehabilitation of slum dwellers by private participation, considering land as a resource. | • Assistance provided to eligible beneficiaries of EWS/LIG and MIG on home loans from banks. | • Assistance provided to families who don’t have land. | • Assistance to eligible beneficiaries belonging to EWS category. |
| • Assistance to families belonging to EWS categories. | • Aims to promote affordable housing. | • Based on supply side intervention. | • Based on demand side intervention. |
| • It is demand driven. | • It is demand driven. |
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- It promotes women empowerment by providing ownership of houses in the name of female member or joint.
- A robust and comprehensive MIS system – CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP) is put in place which enables all stakeholders to seamlessly manage information pertaining to physical and financial progress.
- 5% of total allocation under the scheme is earmarked for capacity building, Information Education & Communication (IEC) and Administrative & Other Expenses (A&OE).
- All houses under PMAY will have basic amenities like toilet, water supply, kitchen, electricity.
- Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC):
- A sub-scheme under PMAY-urban.
- It aims to provide ease of living to urban migrants/poor in industrial sector as well as non-formal economy to get access to affordable and dignified rental housing near their workplace.
Progress:
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- Of total 118.64 lakhs houses sanctioned, 82.16 lakhs houses are completed.
Critical observations by Parliamentary Standing Committee:
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- Gap in housing demand assessment: the actual demand for housing under the scheme is 1.23 crore as against the initial estimation of 2 crores.
- Lack of basic amenities: It further causes delay as noted by committee that as of December 2022, 5.6 lakh houses were not delivered to beneficiaries due to lack of basic services.
- Timeline for grounding and completion: Of total 123 lakh sanctioned houses, 107 lakh houses (87%) have been grounded till December 2022 and 61 lakh houses have been delivered to beneficiaries.
- It is even worse in Northeast states mainly due to geographical and economic reasons, where less than 50% of sanctioned houses are completed till October 2022.
- High-cost burden on beneficiary: some states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Rajasthan are reluctant to provide their contribution. As a result, the average beneficiary contribution goes as high as 60%.
- Overemphasis on BLC vertical: 60% of total 123 lakh houses sanctioned belong to BLC vertical. This dilutes the objective of scheme.
- Lower sanctioning under ISSR vertical: Only 4.33 lakh (30%) houses are sanctioned as against the demand of 14.35 lakhs.
Suggestions by the committee:
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- The ministry should specify strict timelines for starting and completion of house construction.
- The central assistance provided to states should not be fixed rather vary according to state’s topography.
- The ministry should conduct impact assessment of the scheme and proceed with the necessary changes.
- Ensuring land availability, statutory clearances and clearing of slums to enable smooth construction process.
- Outcome based approach rather than output based i.e. focus on number of houses actually occupied by beneficiaries rather than just focusing on number of houses complete.
