PM’s ‘Housing for all’ Scheme
A Brief Overview
Unsurprisingly, human beings everywhere have a fundamental need of having a shelter on top of their heads. A house plays a pivotal role in offering a unique sense of security to human beings, offering a place where the residents can attain peace of mind. In addition, a house is also a place where families reside together, thereby offering a sense of belonging to its residents.
Considering all such vital variables, the Government of India took an initiative and launched a nationwide scheme called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, then known as Housing for all scheme. The primary aim of this scheme is to ensure that the countrymen of India get a house suitable to their financial capabilities and that nobody in India remains homeless. With the objective to fulfil this goal, the scheme was officially launched on 25th June, 2015, promising 2 Crores houses to be built across the country in the span of 7 years, i.e. by the end of year 2022.
Who will benefit from this scheme?
The target audience for this scheme are those individuals who belong to the Low Income Group (LIG) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the urban societies of India. In addition, the direct beneficiaries will include Indian women and of all religions and states, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
What to expect from this scheme?
- Firstly, Indian women will be given higher preference at the time of allotment of houses. In other words, applications from females will be accepted easily and quickly as compared to their male counterparts. Hence, it is safe to conclude that this scheme is indeed a pro-women scheme.
- While building homes under this scheme, eco-friendly and sustainable technology will be employed keeping in mind the adverse effects of climate change.
- While allotting ground floor apartments, higher preference will be given to differently-abled persons and elderly citizens.
- The Central Government will offer a subsidy to individuals belonging to the LIG and EWS, and the subsidies will range anywhere between INR 1 Lac to INR 2.3 Lacs. Besides, subsidies will also be offered for interest rates on loans that are availed for buying a house under this scheme. A 6.5% interest rate subsidy has been decided by the Government against the loans the beneficiaries will avail.
Cities to be covered?
The Government of India has already identified 2,508 cities and towns in 26 states. In addition, below mentioned Union Territories too will be covered under this scheme:
- Chandigarh
- Daman and Diu
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Lakshadweep
- National Capital Territory of Delhi
- Puducherry
Conclusion
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has been divided into three phases in order to get the work completed in time. Phase 1 has a timeline of 2 years, i.e. April 2015 to March 2017 wherein 100 cities will be covered. Similarly, Phase 2 also has a timeline of 2 years, i.e. April 2017 to March 2019 but this time 200 cities will be covered. And, lastly, Phase 3 will follow a bigger timeline of 3 years, i.e. April 2019 to March 2022 wherein all the remaining cities will be broadly covered under this scheme.
