Centre relaxes norms under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release an instalment of Rs 2,745 crore to PMAY-G beneficiaries in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, on September 15.

The Centre has announced a relaxation of the “automatic exclusion” criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), expanding eligibility for the rural housing scheme. Prior to this, families with assets such as “two-wheelers, motorised fishing boats, refrigerators, landline phones,” or earning up to Rs 15,000 per month were excluded from the scheme. The new revisions allow these families to apply.

However, the updated criteria still exclude households that own motorised three/four-wheelers, mechanized agricultural equipment, or Kisan Credit Cards with limits above Rs 50,000. Additionally, households with any member employed by the government, those with registered non-agricultural enterprises, income taxpayers, professional taxpayers, and families owning 2.5 acres or more of irrigated land remain ineligible.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced these changes during a video conference with state Rural Development Ministers on Tuesday. The revisions also include adjustments to land-related criteria under the scheme.

Under PMAY-G, households living in homes with pucca roofs or walls, or those with more than two rooms, were previously excluded. The updated criteria align with the Centre's goal to construct two crore additional houses under the scheme by 2028-29. This target adds to the existing goal of 2.95 crore houses under the ‘Housing for All’ program, with 2.65 crore houses already completed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release an instalment of Rs 2,745 crore to PMAY-G beneficiaries in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, on September 15. He will also distribute acceptance letters to beneficiaries for the financial year 2024-25.

Beneficiaries under PMAY-G receive up to Rs 1.2 lakh in plains and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly, difficult, tribal, and backward areas under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP). Funding is shared between the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio for plain areas, and 90:10 for Northeastern states, two Himalayan states, and the UT of J&K. The Centre covers 100% of the cost for other UTs, including Ladakh.