PMAY-G To Include More Beneficiaries

The government has made the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) more exclusive by raising the monthly income limit of the member of the intended beneficiary family from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 15,000 per month.

Union Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said this at a meeting of Rural Development Ministers of states through video conferencing yesterday, an official press release said.

PMAY-G has progressed with great success, he said. Realizing the success of the scheme and the need for rural houses, it has been expanded and the Central government will construct two crore additional houses for the poor section in the next five years at a cost of more than Rs 3.06 lakh crore.

The target was to construct 2.95 crore houses by March 2024 out of which almost all the houses have been approved and 2.65 crore completed.

Apart from raising the income parameter, the criteria such as motorized two-wheelers, fishing boats, refrigerators, and landline phones have been removed.

The aim of the Union Ministry of Rural Development is the uplift of rural India by not only providing housing but also ensuring basic amenities along with housing, he said. Under this, the beneficiaries are also given the benefit of 90-95 days of wages for building their houses under MGNREGA and in coordination with other welfare schemes like the Swachh Bharat Mission, Ujjwala Yojana, and Saubhagya Yojana.

Also, in coordination with Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar—Free Electricity Scheme, efforts are being made to reduce the electricity bills of the beneficiaries by giving them solar rooftop connections. Every house built under this scheme is a complete house, a well-equipped house, Chouhan said.