Centre may extend Rural Housing Scheme after 2024, likely to be announced ahead of pre-polls | Exclusive

Centre may extend Rural Housing Scheme after 2024, likely to be announced ahead of pre-polls | Exclusive

The scheme, which helps in constructing pucca houses and providing basic amenities to the beneficiaries in rural areas, was extended by the Union cabinet for the last time from March 2021 to 31 March 2024, with a view to achieving the target of building 2.95 crore pucca houses.

The next phase of the PMAY-G rural housing scheme is expected to be extended by the Centre after March 2024. PMAY-G is the flagship scheme of the Union Ministry for rural development (MoRD). News18 has learned that the MoRD is working on a proposal to extend PMAY-G.

The scheme, which helps in constructing pucca houses and providing basic amenities to beneficiaries in rural areas, was extended by the Union cabinet for the last time from March 2021 to 31 March 2024, with a view to achieving the target of building 2.95 crore pucca houses.

The Ministry is preparing a draft, which is likely to be tabled in the cabinet, to initiate the next stage of the scheme, which is expected to last for five years. News18 has learned that the Centre, headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is likely to announce the extension ahead of the general election.

Centre may extend Rural Housing Scheme after 2024

A month ago, the Centre asked ministries and implementing agencies to provide information on all welfare schemes that are close to expiry at the end of FY 2023-24, according to people close to the matter.

According to the response given by the Ministry of New and Rural Development (MoRD) in Parliament in December of last year, compared to the target of 2,95 crore houses, over 2,94 crore houses were sanctioned by various states and Union territories to the beneficiaries, while 2,51 crore houses were completed as on December, 2023.

The PMAY-G scheme was launched on 1st April, 2016, with the aim of providing aid to eligible households in rural areas with the overall objective of constructing 2.95 crores pucca homes.

Last year, in August, the Minister of State for Rural Development (MoS), in a written reply to a series of questions tabled in Parliament, denied that the scheme would be extended for a further phase. In her written reply, Ms Jyoti said that the central government has not put forward any proposal to launch the next phase (PMAY-G) after 2024.

PMAY-G households also have access to water, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity connections in line with other related systems.

The beneficiaries of the scheme are drawn from the Permanent Waiver List (PwL) under PMAY- G, which is based on the SECC (Socio Economic Caste Census) 2011, and the completed Awaas+.