In News
- Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
Key Points
- PMAY-U will be continued up to 31st December 2024.
- The financial assistance is to be provided for the completion of already sanctioned 122.69 lakh houses till 31stMarch 2022.
Image Courtesy: PMAY
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
- About:
- Housing for All is one of the major flagship programmes being implemented by the Government of India (GOI).
- Aim:
- To provide all weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in the urban areas of the country through States/UTs/Central Nodal Agencies.
- Coverage:
- The scheme covers the entire urban area of the country, i.e., all statutory towns as per Census 2011 and towns notified subsequently, including Notified Planning/ Development Areas.
- Implementation:
- The scheme is being implemented through four verticals:
- Beneficiary Led Construction/ Enhancement (BLC),
- Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP),
- In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) and
- Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).
- The scheme is being implemented through four verticals:
- Financial Assistance:
- While the Govt of India provides financial assistance, State Govt/UTs implement the scheme including selection of beneficiaries.
- Latest decision:
- Based on the requests from the States/UTs, the Union Cabinet decided to extend the implementation period of PMAY-U till 31.12.2024.
Issues /Challenges
- PMAY-U’s Credit Linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) component offers interest rate subvention on housing loans borrowed by the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), low and middle-income groups.
- However, the subvention amount is insufficient for private housing in major urban centres of tier-I cities.
- The government-driven EWS projects are mainly located on the periphery of cities, far away from the city’s key economic centres.
- These places are marked by a general lack of transport connectivity and other infrastructure facilities. This combination results in a lack of takers for these housing units.
- Slum redevelopment and EWS projects have made little progress for a lack of private sector interest.
Way Ahead
- New construction technologies, which are adaptable, sustainable and low cost, can be used for creating large-scale affordable housing at a rapid pace and reach out to a larger audience.
- For maintaining an adequate supply of land, it is imperative that necessary changes in land-use change policies are introduced at the state level.
- Given the overall financial implications for India, measures are certainly needed to ensure prudence and seek permanent solutions.
- PMAY must be made accessible to more people and there should be increased awareness.
New Schemes
Image Courtesy: PMAY
Image Courtesy: PMAY |
Source: PIB
Previous article
Women in Politics in India
Next article
African ‘orphan’ Crop