Poor response to affordable housing scheme in Gurugram
Five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 scheme, the response from city residents has been underwhelming. So far, only 1,000 people have applied for this affordable housing initiative. The city’s estimated population of 1.3 million includes a significant portion — over 50 per cent — who live in rented accommodation or as paying guests, lacking their own homes.
While exact figures are unavailable, it is believed the majority of the city’s population falls into the poor and lower middle-class categories, making them eligible for the scheme. The urban housing programme aims to provide affordable housing solutions to such individuals.
Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg stated, “The Gurugram civic body will launch a special campaign urging homeless residents within its jurisdiction to file online applications for the housing scheme. The PMAY-U 2.0 scheme would be linked with an affordable housing initiative in which private builders would reserve flats for homeless individuals.”
Additionally, people with plots of 120 square metres or less will be eligible for an interest subsidy of up to Rs 1.80 lakh on home loans. This subsidy would also apply to those allotted flats. Middle-class families earning less than Rs 9 lakh annually are also eligible to apply. To facilitate applications, an online portal has been set up by the urban local bodies department.
Applicants must not own a permanent house anywhere in the country and it is mandatory for their Aadhaar card to be linked to their mobile phone number. Garg added benefits under the scheme will be provided through four components —Beneficiary-Based Construction (BLC): Land rights (patta) would be provided to eligible families from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) who do not have their own land; Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Houses constructed by public and private institutions for the EWS category would be allotted to applicants; Affordable Rental Housing Scheme: This would offer accommodation to urban migrants, working women, industrial workers, the homeless and students, among others; Interest Subsidy Scheme: A home loan subsidy of up to Rs 1.80 lakh would be available to eligible applicants.
With the campaign set to raise awareness and encourage applications, the hope is that the response to this scheme would improve, offering affordable housing options to more city residents.
