Flats allotted to migrant workers, urban poor in 3 states under Centre’s scheme
At least 4,444 government-funded flats have been allotted to migrant workers and urban poor in three states under the Centre’s Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) scheme, the government has told Parliament
At least 4,444 government-funded flats have been allotted to migrant workers and urban poor in three states under the Centre’s Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) scheme, the government has told Parliament.
The scheme was launched last year as part of the Covid-19 relief package and around 90,000 government-funded flats have been identified under ARHCs across the country, according to the housing and urban affairs ministry.
In a written reply to a question on Thursday, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Lok Sabha the flats have been provided in Ahmedabad and Surat (Gujarat), Chittorgarh (Rajasthan) and Chandigarh. He added the ministry has approved the construction of 78,885 dwelling units by public and private agencies across the country.
Existing vacant houses constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana have been included in the ARHCs scheme. The scheme, a part of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban, will end in March 2022. It is being implemented either by giving existing vacant government-funded flats on rent to migrant workers or allowing private and public entities to construct flats on their land and giving them on rent.
“Public/Private Entities may use ARHCs to provide accommodations to their own workers/labourers as well as serve the requirements for neighbouring entities. Further, guidelines permit collaboration with other entities/organisations or get migrant labourers/urban poor through aggregators by deducting the rent directly from the salary/fee/any kind of remuneration, etc of tenants,” Puri told the Lok Sabha.
The scheme was launched last year after the Covid-19 pandemic led to large scale reverse migration of workers, who mostly live in the slums clusters or informal settlements in cities. Migrant workers, mostly involved in informal sectors, were at the receiving end because of the strict restrictions due to the Covid-19 lockdown, especially on public transport.
The scheme was aimed to provide planned housing at affordable rates to these workers near their workplaces.
State governments have planned in-situ redevelopment of slum clusters. Those new to a city are not eligible for permanent housing and therefore end up living on rent in slum clusters. ARCHs seeks to provide affordable rental housing to promote inclusive urban development and prevent the growth of slums.
For the implementation of the scheme of providing existing government-funded housing on rent, several city authorities have invited bids to hire a private concessionaire to refurbish flats and operate them for 25 years. The initial rent will be fixed by local authorities.
Chandigarh Housing Board has implemented the scheme and given 2,195 flats on rent, said an official. In Surat, 393 flats have been allotted to migrant workers under the scheme for which a private firm has been roped in. In Chittorgarh and Ahmedabad, 480 and 1,376 flats have been allotted.
Puri said the ARHCs aim to provide rental accommodation to migrant labourers/urban poor only and there is no provision for purchasing the dwelling unit by beneficiaries.
National Real Estate Development Council director-general Rajesh Goel called it is a great scheme that will benefit the migrant workers. He added with the introduction of the Model Tenancy Act and the improving sentiments in the real estate sector, they see a growing interest from the promoters in the private sector. “But developers do have a little bit of apprehension due to the lower returns from rentals while the cost of land and maintaining the complexes for 25 years is substantial. There are legal concerns about rent recovery or people not vacating the flats, though we are certain the Modal Tenancy Act, once implemented in all the states, will address this problem thereby generating much larger participation.”
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