More than 1.5 lakh families in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, who were not covered under the 2011 Socio Economic and Caste Census, have been included as fresh beneficiaries of the PM’s housing scheme, officials said.
“Earlier only the families covered in the census were included under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). We recently got a directive from the Centre to identify eligible families left out of the PMAY and submit a fresh proposal,” said ML Nehra, the chief executive officer of the Barmer Zila Parishad.
The Centre directed the state on February 9 to submit the fresh proposal by March-end. Going by the directive, Barmer officials identified 1,73,174 families for houses under PMAY. Earlier, 1,52,426 families in Barmer had been considered as eligible for the housing scheme benefits on the basis of the 2011 census.
Nehra said “Following the Centre’s directive, we organised special camps and invited applications under the PM housing scheme from the eligible families. We have received 1,73,174 fresh applications.”
In the first phase, special camps were held at the panchayat headquarters and in the second phase, gram sabhas were organised. “In third phase, block-level committees are examining the applications, after which they will forward them to the district- level committee,” Nehra said. “We are expecting that the process will be completed by June 10, after which the final figure will be sent to state government.”
{{/usCountry}}In the first phase, special camps were held at the panchayat headquarters and in the second phase, gram sabhas were organised. “In third phase, block-level committees are examining the applications, after which they will forward them to the district- level committee,” Nehra said. “We are expecting that the process will be completed by June 10, after which the final figure will be sent to state government.”
{{/usCountry}}One of the flagship schemes of the NDA government launched in June 2015 modifying the Indira Awaas Yojana, PMAY intends to provide houses to all by 2022. The state government prepared a list of the beneficiaries under the scheme on the basis of the Socio Economic Census, 2011. Lakhs of families, not covered in the census, were left out of the scheme ambit.
Barmer MP Col Sonaram Choudhary had raised the issue in parliament in March last year, saying that about two lakh families in his constituency were deprived of the benefits.
Political observers say inclusion of 1,73,174 fresh families as PMAY beneficiaries has come as a relief to the state BJP government ahead of assembly elections due by the year-end.