PMAY-G faces hiccups: Scheme implementation affected due to hike in cost of construction materials

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Many beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-G) – the scheme which aims to provide a pucca house with basic amenities to houseless households and those households living in kutcha houses– have not been able to complete their houses on time due to a sharp hike in the cost of construction materials. On the other hand, the authorities concerned have lodged FIRs against beneficiaries who have not been able to complete construction of their PMAY-G houses on time.

Under PMAY-G, the total number of sanctioned houses between 2016-2021 was 6.41 lakh, out of which 4.02 lakh houses have been completed so far. Under this scheme, funds are transferred directly into the bank account of beneficiaries in three installments. Each beneficiary gets Rs 1.30 lakh for construction of a pucca house, besides Rs 21,240 for the wages of unskilled labour. As per the conditions laid down under this scheme, the beneficiary cannot engage any contractor to construct his house. The construction of house should be completed within 12 months from the date of sanction. The minimum size of the house is 269 sq ft.

Many beneficiaries are facing problems in completing the construction of their houses due to a steep rise in the prices of construction materials. The estimate cost of construction materials fixed by the government under PMAY-G is about 40 per cent-50 per cent less that the present market price of the construction materials. Unless the beneficiaries submit the utilization certificate (UC) for the first instalment, the second and third instalments are not released. Consequently, many houses have not been completed.

This issue was raised recently in the Assam Assembly by Hailakandi MLA Zakir Hussain Laskar. He said that many beneficiaries were not being able to complete their houses because the fund sanctioned under the scheme was not sufficient to meet the cost of construction materials. He urged the government to look into the matter. He also mentioned that about 295 PMAY-G beneficiaries in his constituency had not been able to complete their houses on time due to which the respective Circle Officers had lodged FIRs against them.

The scheme is being implemented under the Panchayat and Rural Development (P&RD) department. Sources in the department said that the fund share of the Government of India in this scheme is 90 per cent while that of the Assam Government is 10 per cent. The estimated rate of the construction materials is fixed by the Government of India as it is same all throughout the country. The sources further said that the department had received many complaints. Beneficiaries have claimed that it is not possible to construct a pucca house in the present times with only Rs 1.30 lakh. The Assam Government has taken up the matter with the Centre and urged the government to find a solution to this problem, perhaps by providing some additional fund to the beneficiaries. However, the Centre is yet to act in this regard.

On the other hand, this scheme is for houseless households and those households living in kutcha houses. Since a kutcha house has not been properly defined, many people have not been included under this scheme. According to the Government of India, a kutcha house basically means a thatched house made of hay. But here in Assam, people living in a kutcha houses usually use tin sheets for protection from rain. As a result, they were not included under PMAY-G. The Government of Assam took up this matter with the Centre and the Government of India agreed to modify the definition of kutcha house for inclusion of beneficiaries under PMAY-G. After this, last month 8.71 lakh beneficiaries were included under the scheme.

Another problem faced while implementing this scheme is the interference of agents or dalals. These agents approach beneficiaries and assure them to construct their houses. However, they take the money from the gullible beneficiaries and leave the houses half constructed. Sources said that the Assam Government was in talks with the Centre to solve such problems.

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