New Delhi: With the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin being extended till March 2029 with an aim to construct two crore additional homes, a Parliamentary standing committee has recommended the assistance provided under the scheme be suitably hiked.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, pointed out that the assistance under the scheme had remained stagnant at Rs 1.2 lakh for a considerable period of time, often leading to cases in which the houses remained incomplete.
In a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the panel said the “Housing for All” vision might not achieve its target until the beneficiaries were provided “proper hand-holding” in terms of financial assistance of right value and at the right juncture.
The report also highlighted that more than two lakh landless beneficiaries were still waiting to get land or assistance from state governments to construct homes, which might also cause delay in hitting the target.
The panel said the per-unit assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) for plain areas was Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 1.3 lakh for hilly areas and it had remained static for a considerable period of time.
“With rising inflation having a detrimental effect on the cost factor associated with the raw material, transportation cost, labour cost etc, constructing a new house of the requisite area under PMAY-G for poor and needy beneficiaries with such assistance amount seems to be an arduous task,” the report said.
“Moreover, there are instances wherein houses remain incomplete for want of finance and thereby keeping the target lagging,” it added.
The committee noted that against an initial target of 2.95 crore houses to be constructed by March next year, 2.66 crore were constructed as on October 22 and 29 lakh were yet to be completed.
A target of constructing an additional two crore houses in the next five financial years — 2024 to 2029 — has been approved by the government, the report said.
“The committee finds it utmost necessary that a review of per-unit assistance be done on priority basis, particularly when the scheme has been extended to March 2029,” the panel said and recommended revision of the per-unit assistance through a suitable hike.
The committee also recommended that the Department of Rural Development urge the agencies involved to explore all means to complete construction of the houses within the target fixed by the government.
The panel expressed concern over landless beneficiaries getting assistance for land to build their house and, citing Union rural development ministry data, said that of 5,73,311 (5.73 lakh) landless beneficiaries identified under PMAY-G, 59 per cent or 3,60,837 (3.60 lakh) had been provided land for the construction of houses.
“The issue of landlessness is affecting the progress of PMAY-G and may also cause delay in the completion of the target,” the report said and recommended that the department frame a policy within a specified period.
On the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) — a 100 per cent centrally-funded centrally-sponsored scheme under which pensions are given to the elderly, widows, disabled persons and bereaved families on the death of the primary breadwinner belonging to BPL households — the panel said the pensions ranged from Rs 200 to Rs 500 per month, which was a cause of concern for a long period of time.
“The committee noted this amount as abysmally low when the cost of living has increased during the last couple of years,” the panel said.
