What is the Housing For All Scheme?

The Housing for All scheme was an initiative of the Indian government to establish housing facilities for slum dwellers. It was introduced by the Indian government’s Ministry of Housing and urban poverty Alleviation. This is also known as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. It is for both people residing in urban and rural areas that fulfill certain criteria.

All competitive exam aspirants can refer to the List of Government Schemes in India at the linked article and get updated with the latest policies, schemes, and initiatives introduced by the central and state governments of the country.

Latest Update:

• A virtual event was conducted on June 25, 2021, to mark 6 years of successful completion of the three transformative Urban Missions vis. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
• A short movie that encapsulated the Mission’s journey of six glorious years was showcased during the event, that focussed on the various achievements under the scheme, in line with the vision of Prime Minister- ‘Housing for All’ by 2022

Discussed further below in this article are the important aspects of the Housing for All scheme, along with the latest developments done under PMAY. This information is important from the perspective of the upcoming IAS exam and other government examinations.

How to apply for PMAY Scheme?

To apply for the PMAY scheme, you can follow the step mentioned below:

1. Got to the homepage of the PMAY (pmaymis.gov.in)
2. Click on the Citizenship Assessment section on the top navigation bar.
3. Select the relevant option as required
4. Enter the Aadhar number and name
5. You will be redirected to the application page. Fill and save the application.
6. Later, you can check the status of the application on the main website.

Who are eligible for PMAY scheme?

Eligibility for PMAY scheme are mentioned below:

• The maximum age limit of the beneficiary is 70 years.
• The beneficiary should have a family that comprises of husband, wife and unmarried children.
• The beneficiary should not own a Pucca House either in their names or in the name of any member of the family in any state of India.
• The annual income should be between 3 lakhs to 6 lakhs if the beneficiary is from LIG (Low Income Group).
• Membership of one adult female member of the family is mandatory in ownership of the house.

Candidates can read in detail about various important topics linked below for their UPSC exam preparation –

Is the PMAY scheme applicable to rural areas?

Yes, this scheme can be availed by people residing in rural areas. This can be availed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY): Latest Development & Achievement

The success of the Mission can be attributed to its robust financial model of which, Direct Benefit Transfer has been a key element

On June 25, 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) released the till date development and progress made under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, on completion of six years of the scheme. The following data was released by the government authorities:

• Acknowledging the diversity in housing demand across various income groups of the country, for the first time interest subsidies on home loans have been given to Middle-Income Groups having annual income of up to Rs.18 Lakh under PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS). Nearly 16 lakh beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG), and MIG have so far been brought under the fold of CLSS
• Due to the current investment being made in the housing sector, it has created almost an estimated 689 crore person-days of employment translating into around 246 lakh jobs, and led to the consumption of 370 Lakh metric -ton of cement and 84 Lakh metric-ton of steel
• A Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) was introduced in 2019 to identify and mainstream globally best available proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster-resilient. Following which, on January 1, 2021, the foundation of six Light House Projects (LHPs) was laid by PM Narendra Modi, which are being built under PMAY-U
• In view of the COIVD-19 pandemic, Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under PMAY(U) for urban migrants/ poor was launched by MoHUA. Investment under ARHCs is expected to create 11.74 crore person-days of employment with 3.89 crores direct and 7.84 crores indirect in nature. In terms of jobs, it works out to be a total of 4.19 1akh with 1.39 lakh direct and 2.80 lakh indirect jobs.
• ANGIKAAR, a campaign for social change management was initiated by the ‘Housing for All’ (HFA) Mission on 29th August 2019. It has achieved the objective to build capacities of PMAY -U beneficiaries in adapting to change though door-to-door awareness on best practices in water & energy conservation, health, hygiene, sanitation and financial literacy

Candidates must also go through the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the prelims and mains examination and accordingly start their IAS exam preparation.

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