Government extends Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G)
Context:
Recently, the government extended the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana—Gramin (PMAY-G) further up to 2028–29 with a target of constructing 2 crore additional houses.
- The PMAY-G was launched in 2016, and it has sanctioned 2.95 crore houses by March 2024.
Relevance:
GS-02 (Government policies and interventions)
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Highlights
- What is Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana?
- Challenges to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
- Way forward
Key Highlights:
- The PMAY-G scheme has been extended till 2028-29, with 2 crore additional houses planned. So far, around 2.69 crore houses are completed as of February 2025.
- Challenges in Implementation:
- The implementation has seen obstacles including delays in fund release, unwilling beneficiaries, permanent migration, and land allocation issues.
- Awaas+ 2024 mobile app: The app enables tech-driven monitoring for transparency. It uses Aadhaar-based face authentication.
What is Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana?
- The PMAY is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to address housing shortages in both urban and rural areas.
- Objectives of the scheme:
- Slum rehabilitation
- Promotion of affordable housing for weaker sections
- Subsidies for beneficiary-led construction.
- PMAY-Urban is one of the major flagship programmes being implemented by the Government of India under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- Its objective is to provide all weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in the urban areas of the country by the year 2022, through States/UTs/Central Nodal Agencies.
- The scheme covers all statutory towns as per Census 2011 and towns notified subsequently, including Notified Planning and Development Areas.
Challenges to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
- Implementation delay: The initial 2022 deadline was extended to December 2024 due to slow progress. State delays in fund release have significantly affected implementation, with ₹2,915 crore pending in 2020 from nine states.
- Financial & Execution Gaps: The subsidy that is offered is mostly insufficient, forcing beneficiaries to seek additional financing.
- Quality & Monitoring Issues: CAG reports highlight poor housing quality due to lack of supervision and beneficiary awareness.
Way forward:
- For better implementation of the scheme, it is important for the rural masons to be trained under the Rural Mason Training (RMT) program.
- In order to enhance the execution, a performance index dashboard should be created amongst states to promote competition.
