The government on Tuesday initiated a survey of kutcha houses across the country to identify new beneficiaries of its rural housing scheme, rural development and agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
The survey will be completed within six months and those living in kutcha dwelling units could qualify for pucca (all-weather) houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), he added. The idea is to ensure that no intended beneficiary is left out, Chouhan said at an event in Bhairunda, Madhya Pradesh.
The PMAY-G eligibility criteria have been relaxed, and those owning bikes or scooters can now make it to the beneficiary list, Chouhan said. People earning up to Rs 15,000 a month will now also be eligible for a house (the earlier limit was Rs 10,000).
Chouhan also launched the Awas Sakhi mobile app for the PMAY beneficiaries and inaugurated community managed training centres, about 100 of which are being rolled out in 18 states, according to an official statement.
The cabinet had in August approved Rs 3.06 lakh crore to build 30 million houses across the country over the next five years, 20 million of which will be built under the PMAY-G. This is over and above the 29.5 million houses that the government is targeting to complete under the scheme this fiscal since its inception in 2016.
Chouhan also laid the foundation stone for 500 km of newly-paved roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and launched the Gram Sadak Survey & Planning tool.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav also attended the event, among other ministers.
