Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Scheme

In India, people living in poverty have always been victims of lack of resourcefulness, economic deprivation, etc. Though the government has attempted to bring welfare schemes for the betterment of such poverty-stricken people, not much improvement could be found in the category. The urban and rural poor, two categories, have been separately treated as per their needs by the same scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana regarding the housing program by the government helping them get a house of their own. This certainly brings some stability to the lives of the poor people helping them focus on their economic betterment in other arenas. 

What is the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme? 

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme is a government initiative that aims to provide affordable houses to the urban poor keeping a target of building 2 crore (20 million) houses by 31 March 2022. The two basic components of the scheme are Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G or PMAY-R ) for the rural poor.PMAY has been collated with other schemes to ensure that houses have a toilet or sanitation rooms. It also encompasses the Saubhagya Yojana electricity connection scheme, Ujjwala Yojana LPG connection scheme, acquiring clean drinking water, and Jan Dhan Yojana, a renowned banking facility scheme for the poor. 

What are the components of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme? 

The two major components of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme are: 

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban (PMAY-U) looks into the housing requisites of poor urban people. The urban poor has been categorised into three sectors, which depend upon the annual household income: (i) Economically Weaker Section (EWS), (ii) Low-income Group (LIG) (iii) Middle Income Group (MIG). Additionally, the slum dwellers within the urban population can also apply to the scheme. 

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Rural (PMAY-R) has been brought in to help economically weak families living in rural India become property owners. The residences in such rural areas will have all the required basic facilities such as electricity, clean water, a well-developed sewage system, a sanitation facility, etc.

Which Group is Eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme (PMAY)? 

The following Groups are Eligible for PMAY for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY):

1. The people benefitting should not be more than 70 years of age. 

2. The income limit for various groups within the eligible is: 

3. EWS (Economical Weaker Section) – ₹3 lakhs per annum

4. LIG (Lower Income Group) Family – ₹6 Lakhs per annum

5. Middle Income Group -(MIG-I) – ₹6 lakhs to ₹12 lakhs per annum

6. Middle Income Group – (MIG-II) ₹12 lakhs to ₹18 lakhs per annum

The people enrolled in the scheme should not have their own house in the name of any family member in any part of India.

The person eligible for applying for a loan should not have taken benefit of any central/state government subsidy or help buy a home under the scheme being discussed. 

In the current period, the loan available should not own any house or land under their name or conjoined with any family members. 

The house rebuilding and self-construction loans would be granted only for Economically Weaker Sections and Lower Income Group categories. 

Under this scheme, the houses handed over would be owned by females or in conjoined form with males.

Conclusion

The scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana very well aims to facilitate providing one’s own house to every poor and their family. The scheme tries to bring in all the possible beneficiaries within the range and provide them with the need. Not just the government but also private contributors facilitate loan availability for the needy. Such contributors are IIFL Home loans, ICICI bank, AU Housing Finance Limited, Home First Finance company, etc. Site selection for the scheme project of house construction is made by the states in association with the Central government while giving priority to district headquarters, cities of religious importance, historical and tourist importance, keeping in mind the growth of the city, slums within the city and dominance of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, minorities and other weaker and vulnerable section of the society.