In News:

• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) is lagging behind with a 50% completion rate.

What’s in Today’s Article:

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban
• News Summary

In Focus: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin

• PMAY-G has been devised in line with Government’s commitment to provide Housing for All by 2022 in the rural areas.
  • PMAY-G has been launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Rural development.
• The scheme aims at providing a pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless householder living in kutcha and dilapidated houses by 2022.
  • Houses built under PMAY-G will be low-cost, disaster-resilient, and in line with the socio-cultural and geo-climatic conditions of the region.

Achievements of PMAY-G

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)

• PMAY-U, a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched in June 2015.
• The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers.
  • It ensures a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022.
• The Mission promotes women empowerment by providing the ownership of houses in name of female member or in joint name.

Components

Achievements

News Summary

• The government’s flagship programme, the PMAY-G has a completion rate of 67.72% at the end of six years since it began in 2016.
• In contrast, the urban version of the scheme, PMAY – U is lagging behind with a 50% completion rate.

Achievements of both the scheme

• PMAY-G
  • It was initiated with a target of completing 2.7 crore houses.
  • So far, according to the database maintained by the Union Rural Development Ministry, 1.8 crore houses have been constructed.
  • This is 67.72% of the target.
• PMAY-U
  • It was initiated with a target of constructing 1.2 crore homes.
  • According to the latest numbers from the Union Urban Development Ministry, only 60 lakh units have been completed to date.

Reasons for slowdown in both the schemes

• Covid-19 Pandemic
  • The govt officials blamed the pandemic for the slowdown in the PMAY-U.
  • The completion rate for houses sanctioned before the COVID-19 pandemic stood around 80%.
• Lack of clear titles and other land documents
  • In urban areas, issues such as a lack of clear titles and other land documents tend to crop up. This further slowed down the pace.
  • The same is true for rural areas as well.
• Poor implementation by the states
  • Six States account for 70% of the target units — West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
  • Out of them only two States — Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal — have a completion rate above the national average.
    • Bihar has one of the lowest completion rates
  • Many analysts believe that the PMAY-G brings huge political dividends for the BJP-led government at the Centre.
  • It is the reason for a conflict between the Centre and the States.
• Centre withheld funds for the scheme in two States— West Bengal and Chhattisgarh
  • In Bengal, there was an allegation that the current state govt was repackaging the scheme as the Bangla Awas Yojana.
  • Funds for Chhattisgarh were withheld because the State failed to provide its share of contribution for the scheme.
    • The Centre pays 60% and the States have to bear 40% of the cost.