Year Ender: Govt aims to build 2 crore houses under PM’s scheme for rural poor

New Delhi, Dec 31
The Centre plans to construct additional two crore rural houses during FY2024-25 to FY 2028-29 under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) flagship scheme that is being implemented to provide “housing for all” in the country, according to the year-end review of the Ministry of Rural Development released on Tuesday.

As on December 30 this year, the cumulative target of 3.33 crore houses have been allotted to the states/UTs, out of which 3.22 crore houses have been sanctioned and 2.68 crore houses have been completed, according to the official statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first instalment to more than 10 lakh PMAY-G beneficiaries on September 17 through single click in a national event.

An e-KYC app integrated with Aadhaar and equipped with AI-enabled face authentication technology is being used to conduct verification of PMAY-G beneficiaries and prevent fraud, according to the government.

As per the Union Cabinet approval, the scheme has been extended to cover more people with the provisions regarding mechanised two wheelers, mechanised fishing boat, landline phone and refrigerator having been deleted as conditions that barred eligibility.

Further, the income criteria have also been enhanced from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 15,000, and the land-related criteria have been simplified to make the scheme more inclusive.

The PMAY-G has introduced new technology-based solutions for effective and transparent management of the scheme. With the new phase being implemented the PMAY-G has introduced multiple features to maximise transparency and ensure sanctity in the process right from the identification to completion of the houses.

The scheme is being implemented and monitored through an end-to-end e-governance solution, AwaasSoft and AwaasApp. AwaasSoft provides functionalities for data entry and monitoring of multiple statistics related to implementation aspects of the scheme to ensure transparency. These statistics include, physical progress, financial progress and status of convergence.

‘Awaas+ 2024’ is a unique app specially designed under PMAY-G, having features of assisted survey through pre-registered surveyors, housing technology selection, face authentication, Aadhaar-based e-KYC, data capture of household, conditions of existing house, time stamped, and geo tagged photo capture of existing house proposed site of construction. The app works in online as well as offline mode. “Self-Survey” facility is available for eligible households in Awaas+2024 app Survey for the next phase of PMAYG (2024-29).