Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin: Types, eligibility, features and benefits

In 1985, the Government of India introduced a public housing scheme called Indira Awas Yojana. The chief objective of this scheme was to construct houses for the deprived sections residing in rural areas.  In 1996, the project was taken under the aegis of the Ministry of Rural Development and aimed at eradicating rural poverty and empowering the people residing in rural areas through various development programs. From April 1, 2016, Indira Awas Yojana was restructured to become a part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a flagship project of the Government to provide affordable housing for all sections of the society. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has two categories:  Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin.

The mission of PMAY Gramin is to provide pucca houses equipped with basic amenities to every homeless person and those who currently reside in Kutcha and dilapidated homes by 2022.

 

Features of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

Following are the key features of PMAY Gramin:

• It will cover one crore households that live in kutcha houses.
• The minimum house size will be 25 sq.m, and it will also include a dedicated hygienic space for cooking
• The unit assistance provided will be INR 1.20 Lakh for houses in the plains and INR 1.30 Lakhs for houses located in hilly areas, difficult to access areas, and Integrated Action Plan districts
• The cost of building the homes will be shared between the Central Government and the State Government. The sharing ratio will be 60:40 for houses in the plains, and 90:10 for houses located in the North-Eastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin will be integrated with the benefits of other social welfare schemes of the Central Government. These include the construction of toilets under the Swacch Bharat Mission, provision of clean fuel, and drinking water, etc.,

Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

Following are the benefits of PMAY Gramin

• Every house constructed under the scheme has to be compliant with the requirements of the National Building Code and National Disaster Management Authority
• The design of the buildings has to be approved before undertaking the construction
• Senior citizens and the specially-abled citizens will be provided compulsory ground floor accommodation
• Sustainable and eco-friendly construction materials are mandatory for building houses.
• The progress of the construction will be monitored on a real-time basis
• There is a dedicated Programme Management Unit at State, district, block, and panchayat levels
• Landless households will be accorded priority under PMAY Gramin for allotment of land.
• Rural Mason Training will be provided to ensure that the construction of the house is undertaken by qualified masons
• An electronic delivery platform called AwaasSoft will be used for guaranteeing end-to-end execution of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

Home Loans under PM Awas Yojana Gramin              

PMAY Gramin provides financial assistance to poor and homeless families and those who are residing in dilapidated and Kutcha houses and live Below the Poverty Line (BPL) for construction of the house. Out of the above, individual sections will be given priority over others. These include families of manual scavengers and rehabilitated bonded labourers. The order of priority for the rest will be as follows:

• Women who are in difficult circumstances, including widows, divorcees, victims of desertion, atrocities, etc., Preference will also be given to those women whose husbands are missing for the last three years.
• Individuals who have a 40% mental impairment
• Individuals who have a 40% physical impairment
• Transgenders
• Widows and next-of-kin of members of defence/paramilitary /police forces killed in action, irrespective of whether they belong to BPL
• Other houseless BPL families

The financial assistance provided in such cases will be as follows:

• For the construction of a new house in the plains: Rs.70,000
• For the development of a new house in the hilly areas/difficult areas/IAP areas: Rs 75,000
• For up-gradation of Kutcha or dilapidated house: Rs 15,000
• For acquiring house site: Rs 20,000

The assistance is provided as a Direct Benefit Transfer to the bank account of the beneficiary. In addition to this, the Ministry of Rural Development has also launched the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme that provides easy access to institutional loans for those who reside in rural areas but do not fall within the eligibility criteria of PMAY Gramin. Under this, the eligible beneficiaries can seek housing loans from banks and financial institutions and receive an interest subsidy of 3% for a maximum loan amount of INR 2 Lakh (irrespective of the total amount of loan), for 20 years or the full tenor of the housing loan, whichever is lesser. In the event, the total amount of the housing loan is less than INR 2 lakhs, and the subsidy will be calculated on the actual quantum of the loan.

Eligibility Criteria for PMAY Gramin                     

In order to identify the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin, the Government will rely on the data from the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011.  All individuals who are houseless and the households that are living in zero, one or two-room kutcha houses as per SECC will be eligible under PMAY Gramin. Priority will be accorded to those who demonstrate the maximum housing deprivation. Houses with a pucca roof or a pucca wall and houses with more than two rooms are automatically excluded. Further, if any household has any member as a Government employee, or has a member with a monthly income of more than INR 10,000, or owns at least 2.5 acres or more irrigated land, etc., will be excluded from the list of beneficiaries.

Documents Required for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

The supporting documents are extremely important for processing an application under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme. Typically, the following documents have to be furnished in support of the PMAY Gramin application:

• Proof of identity: Any one of the following from Voters ID, Aadhar Card, Photo identity issued by the Government, a letter from a recognized public authority or public servant that verifies the identity of the customer with a photograph no older than 30 days.
• Proof of income: Bank account statement for the last three months, salary certificate(if any)
• Proof of address: Any of the following from a letter from a recognized public authority or public servant verifying the identity and residence of the customer, life insurance policy, voters ID, Aadhaar card.
• Other documents: certificate claiming the cost of construction, an affidavit stating neither the applicant nor his family members own a pucca house, property registration certificate (if applicable)

 

Beneficiary List for PMAY Gramin       

The priority list will be generated through the AwaasSoft app. The households will be provided a deprivation score on the basis of certain socio-economic parameters and ranked accordingly.  The concerned Gram Panchayat will circulate the lists to the Grama Sabha for verification. If the Gram Sabha rejects a particular household from the list of eligible beneficiaries or changed the ranking or the deprivation score, the reasons for such deletion or change will have to be indicated by the Gram Sabha. Once the verification is completed, the Block Development Official or any other official designated by the State Government or the Union Territory will have the responsibility for publicising the list within the Gram Panchayat for at least seven days. A fifteen-day window will be available for submission of any complaints regarding the change in ranking or deprivation score or deletion of a household from the list of eligible beneficiaries.

The Competent Authority appointed by the State Government/Union Territory will assess the complaints and refer them to an Appellate Committee constituted by the State Government or the Union Territory. Once the complaints are disposed of, a permanent waitlist of the beneficiaries will be drawn up.

Mandatory requirements to become a beneficiary for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

Set out below are some of the necessary requirements you must fulfill to avail of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin:

• The applicant's family should comprise of spouse and unmarried children
• The applicant or any member of the family should not own a pucca house in anywhere in India
• Depending on the specific requirements of a state, the applicant and his/her family must be residing in the state for a particular period of time
• The applicant or his/her family should not own a two/three/four-wheeler or a fishing boat
• The household of the applicant should not have any member who is a Government employee
• The household should not own a refrigerator or a landline phone
• The household should not have a Kisan Credit Card with a credit limit of INR 50,000 or above

 

How to apply online for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin

The beneficiaries of PMAY Gramin are selected by the Government on the basis of several socio-economic parameters. Therefore, direct application is not possible. While choosing the eligible recipients on the basis of Socio-Economic and Caste Census data, the Government accords priority to homeless people who are Below Poverty Line.  The list of beneficiaries is generated through an online application called AwaasSoft. The lists are forwarded to the respective Gram Sabhas for verification. In the event, an applicant fulfills all the criteria for selection, but his or her name is deleted from the list, a grievance can be filed with the Competent Authority appointed by the respective State Government/Union Territory.

How to track PMAY Gramin status

Tracking status online

• Log on to https://rhreporting.nic.in/netiay/Benificiary.aspx
• Enter the registration number that you received once the application was accepted.
• Press 'Submit'

If you do not have access to your registration number:

• Log on to https://rhreporting.nic.in/netiay/AdvanceSearch.aspx
• Enter the relevant details for State, District, Block, Panchayat, Scheme name, and financial year. You also have the option to search BPL number, sanction order, or father' s/husband's name.

Once you enter the details, press the 'Search' button and wait for the details to be displayed on your screen.

If you are entitled to receive financial assistance by means of Direct Benefit Transfer, you can check the status of the same by logging into https://awaassoft.nic.in/netiay/fto_transaction_details.aspx. You can track the status by providing your FTO number or PFMS ID.

FAQs

 

Is it mandatory to provide toilets along with the houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme?

Yes, the construction of toilets is mandatory as per the guidelines of  Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. It is the duty of the State Governments/Union Territory to ensure that the construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme takes into account appropriate measures.  It should account for fund flows, accounting, reporting, etc., in relation to the construction of the toilers. The goal of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is to integrate the approaches under other schemes, including Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

 

Are there any special provisions under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme for building houses for beneficiaries who are disabled?

Yes, as per the current regulations, in the event the beneficiary is old or infirm, the construction of the house will be undertaken as part of the mason training program.

 

Is there any provision of providing technical support under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme?

Yes, a National Technical Support Agency has been set up. The role of this agency is to ensuring quality construction of the houses, evaluating the implementation of the scheme, management of the budget/finance, management of e-Governance solutions, and organizing training and workshops, etc. The agency also undertakes any other activity assigned by the Government in relation to the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme.

 

What is the role of Self Help Groups in PMAY Gramin?

Self Help Groups or SHGs play a very crucial role in the implementation of PMAY Gramin. They are entrusted with the responsibility of generating awareness about PMAY Gramin among the beneficiaries and apprise them of the benefits linked to the scheme.

 

Is the provision of drinking water a mandatory requirement under PMAY Gramin?

Yes, access to safe drinking water is the chief objective of the National Rural Drinking Water Program.  This scheme has been converged with PMAY Gramin, entitling every beneficiary to receive clean and safe drinking water.

 

How is the performance of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme tracked?

Various parameters are taken into account to monitor the performance of the scheme. These include:

Timeline for registration of beneficiaries: Beneficiaries are required to be registered with the relevant authorities within two months from the communication of the target by the Central Government to the State Government.

Timeline for crediting the sanctioned amounts to the beneficiaries: Where beneficiaries are entitled to receive financial assistance, sanctions should be issued by the State Government/ Union Territory within three months of receiving communication about the targets from the Central Government.

 

Is there a grievance redressal mechanism under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin?

Yes. The grievance redressal mechanism has been set up at various levels of the administration. The procedure for filing these grievances have to be displayed prominently in each Panchayat. The concerned official adjudicating the dispute must dispose it within 15 days from the receipt of the complaint. In addition to this, beneficiaries can also lodge their complaints through CPGRAMS. It is a flagship initiative of the Government for public grievance redressal.

 

What are the use of AwaasSoft platform and the AwaasSoft app?

Financial assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin is transferred to the State Nodal Account. Using the AwaasSoft portal, the requisite amounts are transferred directly to the beneficiary accounts from the State Nodal Accounts.

In order to effectively monitor the progress of the PMAY scheme, AwaasSoft platform is used for collating data and generating performance reports. It enables to monitor the performance on the basis of varied parameters of performance.

AwasApp is a mobile application that can help officials and citizens to capture and upload geo-tagged, time and date stamped photographs of the house at various stages of construction. This can reduce the time lag in verification significantly.

 

What is the mechanism of releasing the interest subsidy under the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme?

The advance from the subsidy payment is released to the Central Nodal Agency. Thereafter, the subsidy is released to the Central Nodal Account after the utilization of 70% of the earlier amounts. An end-use certificate for the usage of the fund has to be submitted by the banks to the Central Nodal Agency. On the basis of the loan amount provided by the banks to the beneficiaries of the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme, the Central Nodal Agency to the banks on the basis of the claims submitted. Following this, the Net Present Value of the interest subsidy is credited to the account of the beneficiary by the bank.

 

Is there a definition of a Kutcha house?

As per the Indira Awas Yojana guidelines, a kutcha house can be defined as one in which walls and/or roof is made of material, such as unburnt bricks, bamboos, mud, grass, reeds, thatch, loosely packed stones, etc. which are not durable due to inappropriate application of techniques and are not able to withstand normal wear and tear.

 

What is the sharing mechanism between the Central Government and the State Government in order to facilitate Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin Scheme?

The cost is shared between the Central and State Government at 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and the Himalayan States. Further, out of the annual budget earmarked for PMAY Gramin, 90% of funds are released to States/UTs for the construction of a new house under PMAY-G. This is inclusive of allocating 4% towards the administrative expenses incurred.  A reserve for special projects is created by retaining 5% of the budget. The annual allocation is done on the basis of an Annual Action Plan (AAP). This plan is approved by an empowered committee constituted in this regard.