5,648 vacant houses converted into affordable rental housing for urban poor and migrant workers

The Urban Development Ministry has also approved construction of 82,273 new units under the ARHC scheme in the public-private partnership model

Various government schemes have been converted into ‘Affordable Rental Housing Complexes’ to help migrant workers and urban poor employed to secure accommodation. | Representative image. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

A total of 5,648 vacant houses built under various government schemes have been converted into ‘Affordable Rental Housing Complexes’ (ARHC), a scheme which the Centre had announced during the COVID-19 pandemic to help migrant workers and urban poor employed in the informal sector secure accommodation.

The Urban Development Ministry has also approved construction of 82,273 new units under the scheme in the public-private partnership model, while another 7,413 vacant houses have been identified to be converted under the ARHC scheme.

The ARHC was launched as a sub-scheme of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to ensure dignified living conditions close to work spaces for urban migrants and those working in the informal sector in cities.

The houses are a mix of single and double bedroom dwelling units, and a dormitory of four-six beds, including all common facilities which will be exclusively used for rental housing for a minimum period of 25 years.

The scheme is implemented under two models.

Under Model-1, existing government-funded vacant houses constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) are converted into ARHCs through public private partnerships or by public agencies.

Under the second model, the dwelling units are constructed and maintained by public or private entities on their own available vacant land.

The Urban Development Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday that 5,648 vacant houses had been converted into ARHCs in Chandigarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. Out of these, 4,470 houses have already been occupied by beneficiaries.

Moreover, a Request for Proposal has been issued for 7,413 vacant houses in various other States.

Under Model-2, it said, 73 proposals had been received from public or private entities for the construction of 1,39,471 units in 18 States and Union Territories. Out of this, 13 proposals for constructing 82,273 new ARHC units in seven States have been approved by the Ministry.