The security of having a roof over one’s head is something a lot of people take for granted because it’s one thing that most middle class and upper class people don’t have to worry about as they usually have a home of their own. But now think of the countless people who have had to sleep on footpaths and roads due to the absence of a house that they could call their own. The amount of problems a person in such a situation faces are unconquerable and they could be easily assailed only if the odds against them are diminished.
It is in this background that Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has created history. The promise of providing houses for all have been made many times in our country by various governments, but this is the first time that a government fulfilled the promises it made. A record number of 1.53 crore houses have been made as of February, 2019.
Housing For All
As a part of the ambitious Housing For All 2022 programme, the government aims to construct 2 crore houses and ensure a roof over everybody by 2022. The programme focuses on the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG), who are selected on the basis of 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census. Subsidy up to 2.67 lakhs is provided under the two components namely, Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme and Individual Beneficiary led House Construction. The programme also takes help of private sector through Public-Private Partnerships and also has a component of slum rehabilitation. A draft Rental Housing Policy has also been released to promote rental accommodation in cities. Its commendable that all of this has been done in just five years. Although it is an irony that even after 70 years of Independence, a government has to aggressively aim for providing affordable housing for everybody.
Sleight of Hand- The UPA way
The first thing that any critique of Modi government will say is that Indira Awas Yojana also aimed at similar things before 2014 and that records show 89 lakh houses were constructed between 2010-2014. Well, not really.
It was found out that house construction was merely started but never completed. But those incomplete houses were counted as completed ones. After 2014, the NDA government geo-tagged these houses and found only 25 lakh houses were actually built up to completion. What the then government didn’t realise was that all these houses had to be fully completed and after the new findings their numbers drastically decreased from 89 lakhs to 25 lakhs. To make a simple juxtaposition, the Indira Awas Yojana constructed 25 lakhs rural houses from 2010-2014 whereas from 2014-2018, the number was 1.25 crore houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. This number has grown to 1.53 crore houses as of February, 2019, the break-up of which is- 1.37 crore houses in rural and 13.5 lakhs houses roughly in urban.
RERA- Protecting The Buyers
The biggest torments in the housing industry were the errant builders and frauds with the home buyers. To prevent all of this, the Real Estate Regulation Act was passed in 2016 for regulating the real estate sector. The act mandates that the builder should declare the plan layout, facilities and deadlines on the website. In case of false promises, buyer can get full refund and even compensation at a definite interest rate for the delay. Builder has to deposit 70% of the amount in escrow account. Amrapali Group is in legal trouble for defrauding its buyers in Noida. RERA ensures we don’t see that repeat again!
Having a home is a dream of every family. The government has ensured that the needy and the poor get a home that is truly their own. Mere hollow claims of “Garibi Hatao” might have won elections in the past, but execution of these schemes is what really matters a lot. It seemed to be an impossible aim to execute housing programmes at such a massive scale in India. But as the election slogan of the current government goes- Namumkin Ab Mumkin Hai!
Let’s leave you with a picture that shows how Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has transformed the lives of the beneficiaries. BJP President Amit Shah recently visited an Awas beneficiary in Andhra Pradesh. The feeling of happiness and satisfaction on the woman’s face is priceless. It’s an indication that aspirations of a billion people are on their way to fulfillment!
Interested in knowing how Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana beneficiaries feel? Check out these testimonials:
– Gunisha Dhawan
(Gunisha Dhawan is a policy analyst from New Delhi. She follows issues like social welfare, health, education and financial policy)