Uttar Pradesh Gets Additional 1.44 Lakh Houses Under PMAY-G As Other States, UTs Miss Deadline

The Centre has withdrawn the allocation of 1.44 lakh houses from several states and Union Territories that failed to sanction the houses by 30 June. These houses have been given as additional allocations to Uttar Pradesh.

The aim is to construct 2.95 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) by March 2024, ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections.

The Ministry of Rural Development, responsible for the PMAY-G scheme, has informed the states and UTs about the revised allocation of houses under the rural housing scheme. The allocation has been revised downwards for these states and UTs.

The states and UTs affected by the revised allocation include Gujarat, Tripura, Odisha, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre has a target of constructing 2.95 crore houses by March 2024. Out of these, 2.04 crore houses were to be allocated to states based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data, while the remaining 91 lakh houses were allocated based on a survey called Awas+. This survey was conducted between June 2018 and March 2019 across the country.

However, the combined efforts of these states and UTs fell short in sanctioning a total of 1,44,220 houses within the given deadline of 30 June. This includes 7,496 houses from the SECC data and 1,36,724 houses from the Awas+ list.

In contrast, Uttar Pradesh, which was initially allocated 34.72 lakh houses, has requested the Centre's approval for additional houses. Keshav Prasad Maurya, the Deputy Chief Minister of the state and the Minister of Rural Development, has written to Giriraj Singh, the Union Rural Development Minister, regarding this matter.

The objective of the PMAY-G is to provide pucca houses with a minimum area of 25 sq m in rural areas. Eligible beneficiaries receive financial assistance of up to Rs 1.2 lakh in the plains and Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly and "difficult" areas. The funding for this program is divided between the Centre and the states in a 60:40 ratio.

Out of the initial allocation, Uttar Pradesh has completed the construction of 29.82 lakh houses, while the remaining houses are still under construction. The state has now been allocated an additional 1,44,220 houses that were withdrawn from other states and UTs.

Sources indicate that Uttar Pradesh has been given a one-month period to sanction these additional houses to eligible households.

According to Maurya, who spoke to The Indian Express, the Centre has sent a letter confirming additional allocation. However, he stated that the state needs 95,000 more houses in order to provide homes to all eligible beneficiaries.

Initially, the Centre had set a deadline of 31 December 2022, for states to approve 100 per cent of the houses for eligible beneficiaries. This deadline was later extended multiple times, first to 16 January 2023, then to 17 February, 31 March, and finally to 30 June.

However, certain states/UTs such as Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu have been granted an extension until July 31 due to "special circumstances," as per sources.

If they fail to meet the target by the end of the month, the allocation of unsanctioned houses will be given to better-performing states/UTs.

According to data from the PMAY-G website, out of the Centre's allocation of 2.93 crore houses as of July 17, 2.90 crore have been approved, and 2.31 crore have been finished.