The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of 2.95 crore houses in rural areas under ‘Housing for All’ scheme wherein financial assistance of up to Rs.1.30 lakh will be provided for construction of pucca houses to homeless families.
Terming it as a “very important decision,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said as per the last census, 2.95 crore houses are needed to be constructed.
The target will be achieved by 2022 —the 75th year of India's Independence, he told reporters after a Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The programme will be implemented in two phases, the minister said.
The government proposes to provide assistance for one crore households in the next three years (by 2018-19) at an estimated cost of Rs. 81,975 crore.
Mr. Prasad said Rs. 60,000 crore will come from Budgetary provisions. “The additional financial requirement of Rs. 21,975 crore will be met by borrowing through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to be amortised through budgetary allocations after 2022,” he said.
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An eligible family living in plains will get Rs. 1.20 lakh and those living in “hilly and difficult” areas will receive an assistance of Rs. 1.30 lakh under the scheme.
The identification and prioritisation of beneficiaries will be done using information from Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC).
The beneficiary will be entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA.
“The cost of unit assistance to be shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states,” according to an official statement. The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout India except Delhi and Chandigarh. Under the existing rural housing scheme ( Indira Awaas Yojana ), financial assistance of Rs. 70,000 in plains areas and Rs. 75,000 in hilly/difficult areas is provided.