The Rajiv Swagruha scheme, also known as the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), was a housing scheme launched by the Indian government in 2009. The aim of the scheme was to provide affordable housing for the urban poor in the country.
Under the scheme, the government intended to provide financial assistance to states and cities to construct affordable housing units for the poor. The scheme also sought to provide basic amenities such as water, sanitation, and electricity to the inhabitants of these houses.
The Rajiv Swagruha scheme was later merged with another scheme called the Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) to form a new scheme called the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
The JNNURM continued to provide financial assistance to states and cities for affordable housing and basic services for the urban poor until it was phased out in 2014. However, the government has since launched new schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to provide affordable housing to the urban poor.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is a flagship affordable housing scheme launched by the Indian government in 2015 with the aim of providing “Housing for All” by 2022. The scheme has both urban and rural components, and seeks to provide affordable housing to eligible beneficiaries.
The urban component of the PMAY aims to provide affordable housing to the urban poor, including slum dwellers, low-income groups, and economically weaker sections of society. The scheme provides financial assistance in the form of interest subsidies, credit-linked subsidies, and beneficiary-led construction for eligible beneficiaries to construct or purchase houses. The scheme also provides incentives for developers to construct affordable housing projects.
The rural component of the PMAY, known as PMAY-G, aims to provide housing to the rural poor. The scheme provides financial assistance for the construction or renovation of houses, as well as basic amenities such as toilets, electricity, and water supply.
The PMAY has several features, including a technology-driven platform for online application and tracking of the scheme, a provision for women to be the sole or joint owner of a house, and a preference for eco-friendly and disaster-resistant housing. The scheme has a target of constructing 20 million affordable houses by 2022, and has made significant progress towards this goal.
The eligibility criteria for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) vary depending on the component of the scheme.
For the urban component, the following are eligible:
- Individuals from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), defined as households with an annual income up to Rs. 3 lakh.
- Individuals from the Lower Income Group (LIG), defined as households with an annual income between Rs. 3 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh.
- Individuals from the Middle Income Group I (MIG I), defined as households with an annual income between Rs. 6 lakh and Rs. 12 lakh.
- Individuals from the Middle Income Group II (MIG II), defined as households with an annual income between Rs. 12 lakh and Rs. 18 lakh.
In addition to income criteria, applicants must also not own a pucca house (a permanent, concrete house) in their name or the name of any family member in any part of India to be eligible for the PMAY (Urban) scheme.
For the rural component of the PMAY, known as PMAY-G, the following are eligible:
- Individuals from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
- Individuals from non-SC/ST categories who fall under the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category as per the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data.
- Individuals from other categories who fall under the BPL category as per the SECC data, subject to other eligibility criteria.
The PMAY scheme also has other eligibility criteria such as age, marital status, and disability status, among others, which vary depending on the component of the scheme.
The original target of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) was to provide “Housing for All” by 2022, and the government has made significant progress towards achieving this goal. As of August 2021, over 11.2 million houses have been sanctioned and over 8.9 million houses have been completed under the PMAY scheme.
While the original target year of 2022 is approaching, the scheme is expected to continue beyond this date. In fact, the government has already announced an extension of the PMAY (Urban) scheme until 2022-23 to enable the completion of all sanctioned houses.
It is likely that the PMAY scheme will continue in some form beyond 2022, as the government has acknowledged the continuing need for affordable housing in the country. In fact, the government has already launched a new scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 to provide affordable rental housing for urban migrants and other vulnerable sections of society. This new scheme was launched in June 2021 and is expected to run until 2027.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 is a new version of the PMAY-U scheme, which was launched in June 2021 by the Indian government. The aim of the scheme is to provide affordable rental housing to urban migrants, poor people, and other vulnerable sections of society who do not own a house.
Under the PMAY-U 2.0 scheme, the government plans to construct affordable rental housing complexes (ARHCs) in cities and towns across the country. The ARHCs will be constructed on public or private land, and will provide basic amenities such as water, sanitation, and electricity to the inhabitants. The scheme will be implemented through a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with the government providing financial assistance to the private sector for the construction of ARHCs.
The scheme will target three categories of beneficiaries, namely:
- Urban migrants or poor people who have come from rural areas or other parts of the country in search of employment or livelihood opportunities.
- Industrial and construction workers who do not own a house near their workplace.
- Students or single working women who do not have access to affordable rental housing.
The PMAY-U 2.0 scheme aims to provide affordable rental housing to over 350,000 beneficiaries by 2024. The government has also announced various incentives for private sector participation in the scheme, such as exemption from stamp duty, transfer duty, and other taxes.
Now PMAY-U 2.0 is active and running in India. For more details to avail this scheme Visit http://arhc.mohua.gov.in/