Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her presentation of the interim budget for 2024-25, announced a scheme targeting the middle class to assist those residing in rented accommodations, slums, or chawls to acquire their own houses. Simultaneously, she revealed plans to build an additional 2 crore houses for the rural poor over the next five years under the ongoing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Grameen). Sitharaman highlighted the government's efforts over the past decade to provide each individual with a house, water, electricity, cooking gas, and a bank account as part of inclusive development.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the PM Awas Yojana (Grameen) has continued, with the government nearing the target of three crore houses. To address the increasing demand due to the rise in the number of families, the government aims to take up the construction of an additional two crore houses in the next five years.
The Ministry of Rural Development has been implementing the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) since April 1, 2016, to provide assistance to eligible rural households. The overall target is to construct 2.95 crore pucca houses with basic amenities by March 2024. The central assistance under PMAY-G is released directly to the states and union territories, with further distribution to beneficiaries at the district, block, and gram panchayat levels.
(With Agency Inputs)
