Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana — Housing for All (Urban)
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Housing for All (Urban) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation in June 2015, with the objective of providing pucca houses to economically weaker and low-income families, along with water connections, toilet facilities and electricity.
The Mission envisages providing 20 million houses by 2022, covering 509 cities and towns across the country.
Implementation of PMAY in Meghalaya
In Meghalaya, nine statutory towns have been selected for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission: Shillong, Nongpoh, Nongstoin, Mairang, Jowai, Tura, Baghmara, Resubelpara and Williamnagar.
Under this Mission there are four verticals — In-situ Slum Redevelopment, Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), Affordable Housing in Partnership, and Beneficiary Led Individual House Construction or Enhancement (BLC). For Meghalaya, emphasis is given to two verticals: Beneficiary Led Individual House Construction or Enhancement (BLC) and the Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).
Eligibility Criteria for BLC
- Applicant belongs to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category
- Annual family income not exceeding ₹3 lakh
- Applicant owns their own land
- Beneficiaries with a kutcha house may opt for new house construction
- Beneficiaries with a pucca house of area not exceeding 21 sq.m may opt for enhancement
Mode of Operation
As per Mission guidelines, a demand survey was undertaken in all nine towns. Advertisements were floated and applications received, followed by site inspections to verify eligibility. Based on inspection and the eligibility criteria above, the list of eligible beneficiaries is drawn up and DPRs are prepared. DPRs are placed before the State Level Appraisal Committee; once approved, they are forwarded to the State Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (SLSMC) and then to the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC).
Release of Funds
Funds are released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, to the State Government, which releases them to the State Nodal Agency. From the Nodal Agency, funds are released directly to beneficiaries' accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Status of BLC
There are a total of 4,554 eligible and sanctioned beneficiaries to date across the nine towns, of which 305 beneficiaries have completed construction and about 912 beneficiaries are at various stages of construction.