Question: How has Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme contributed to addressing the challenges of affordable housing and urbanization? Illustrate with suitable examples. (150 words)
Answer:
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is a part of the Government’s initiative known as “Housing for All by 2022,” which focuses on providing housing solutions in urban areas. The program is overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). PMAY aims to enhance affordability for urban low-income individuals by offering an interest rate subsidy on home loans. This subsidy is applied to the interest component of the home loan’s Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs) during the repayment period.
Achievements:
- Target and Progress: Out of the allocated target of 2.92 crore houses to States/Union Territories, around 2.10 crore houses have been completed.
- Subsidized Housing for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low-Income Groups (LIG): PMAY provides financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries to acquire or construct houses. Beneficiaries from EWS and LIG categories receive substantial interest subsidies on home loans, making it easier for them to afford housing. Complaints Data: From the program’s inception on April 1, 2016, until December 8, 2022, the Ministry of Rural Development received 1,451 complaints related to irregularities in PMAY-G implementation through CPGRAMS. Out of these, 1,413 complaints have been disposed of.
- Slum Rehabilitation: PMAY addresses the challenges of urbanization and slums by promoting slum rehabilitation projects.
- Women Empowerment: PMAY prioritizes female ownership or co-ownership in property titles, recognizing the importance of gender equality and women’s financial independence. This empowers women economically and socially.
The Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) aims to provide pucca houses with basic amenities to rural beneficiaries as part of the “Housing for All” initiative. The program has established an effective grievance redressal mechanism, both at the local and central levels, to ensure transparency, accountability, and timely resolution of concerns.