Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G)

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) social welfare program, earlier known as the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was established to address the lack of housing for individuals who are economically downtrodden. The goal of this program was to construct houses for the Indian rural population that came under the BPL (below poverty line) category. The PMAY – G aims to provide a 25 sq. mt pucca house with basic amenities such as a hygienic cooking space to those who are homeless as well as those living in kutcha and dilapidated houses by the year 2022. The immediate objective of the UPA Government for this program is to provide scheme benefits to 1 crore beneficiaries within a period of three years (2016 – 2017, 2018 -2019)

Salient Features and Benefits of PMAY-G Scheme

• The size of this house will be 25 sq.mt, including a hygienic cooking space. Assistance for toilet construction will be provided with the help of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G), and other sources of funding

• Additionally, assistance for piped drinking water, LPG gas connection, electricity connection, etc. will be provided in accordance with other government funding programmes.

• Beneficiaries will be selected based on parameters from Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) which will then be verified by Gram Sabhas. An appellate process has also been put in place to address all grievances regarding beneficiary selection.

• Amount of assistance provided is Rs. 1.2 lakh in plains and Rs 1.3 lakh in hilly regions, areas with difficult terrain, and Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts

• Additionally, the cost of unit assistance will be shared in the ratio of 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 in the Himalayan and North Eastern states between the Central and State governments

• The beneficiary will also receive Rs. 90.95 per day of unskilled labour from the MGNREGA

• In order to ensure quality house construction, a pan – Indian training and certification programme for masons has been launched that will ensure career progression as well.

• The beneficiary will be provided with guidance on house design and disaster resilience features for their particular area. This is to ensure that over-construction is avoided which may result in the beneficiary having to borrow an additional sum of money to complete the construction.

• Beneficiaries who wish to procure a loan under this scheme can avail up to Rs. 70,000 and this will be monitored through institutions such as State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), and District Level Bankers’ Committee (DLBC)

• Implementation of this programme will be monitored electronically and through community participation, Central and State level governments, etc.

• All payments will be made directly to the beneficiaries’ Bank or Post Office account that is linked to their Aadhaar.

Eligibility Criteria for PMAY-G and Exceptions

Only if the said beneficiaries fulfil the following criteria will they be eligible to avail the benefits of PMAY-G scheme.

• Families that do not own houses or those that have no or maximum two rooms with a kutcha roof and wall

• Families that do not have a literate adult who is over 25 years old

• Families without an adult male between the ages of 16 and 50 years

• Households that do not have any able-bodied adult member or have disabled members

• Households that do not own land and primarily derive income from casual labour

In case there is a tie with households having the same deprivation score, the following priority will be accorded:

• Households with widows where next-of-kin were members of paramilitary/defence/police forces killed in action

• Families with members suffering from cancer, leprosy, or those living with HIV(PLHIV)

• Families with a single girl child

• Beneficiary families of Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers

• Transgender persons

Exceptions will be in the cases of:

• If a member of the said household has a motorized two, three, four-wheeler vehicle, agricultural equipment, or a fishing boat

• The individual has a Kisan Credit Card with a spending limit of Rs.50,000 or more

• Family member is a government employee with an income of over Rs.10,000 per month

• Household where a member is paying an income or professional tax

• Households that own a refrigerator or a landline connection

Documents Required to Apply for PMAY – G

• Bank Account Details

• Aadhaar Number

• Document providing consent to use Aadhaar information on behalf of beneficiary

• Beneficiary job card number that is MNREGA-registered

• Swachh Bharat Mission G (SBM) registration number of the beneficiary

How to Apply for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G) Scheme

There are four aspects to the registration process. These are:

• Personal Details

• Bank Account Details

• Convergence Details

• Details from the office concerned with the same

There are multiple ways in which an individual can apply for this scheme.

The beneficiary family can procure and fill-up the form available at their Gram Panchayat. The respective authorities will then get the application processed based on the details provided. In case this is not possible, third-party support can be sought as well. However, one must provide a consent form allowing the third party to use their Aadhaar number for this purpose. Additionally, beneficiaries can also apply for PMAY Gramin online by visiting the PMAY-G website.

One of the biggest challenges faced by those who are economically downtrodden is housing. Due to lack of funds most would resort to constructing houses from materials that were available cheaply but this does not guarantee their safety or security. The Government of India came up with PMAY-Gramin, a social welfare program that would address this issue especially for the rural poor in India.