MYSURU: The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), the government’s flagship rural housing scheme, is encountering substantial delays in the Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. This is largely due to rising construction material and labor costs.
In Mysuru, there are 20,908 houses planned for the fiscal year 2024-25, but only 64.4% of the work has been completed so far. Chamarajanagar has made even less progress, with only 27.2% completion.
Out of the 20,908 houses set for Mysuru, 13,462 beneficiaries have begun construction after receiving their allotment letters, leaving 7,466 others still awaiting theirs.
In Chamarajanagar, of the 39,317 planned houses, only 10,681 have been sanctioned, resulting in a backlog of 28,636 houses yet to be constructed.
Beneficiaries identified for the scheme include houseless individuals living in makeshift homes made of mud and grass. These groups also encompass below poverty line (BPL) families, destitute individuals, manual scavengers, primitive tribal groups, former bonded laborers, people living with HIV, and sexual minorities, as identified through local gram panchayat meetings.
The government provides Rs 1.2 lakh to general category beneficiaries and Rs 1.8 lakh to SC/ST beneficiaries for housing construction. Additionally, beneficiaries may claim Rs 31,410 for 90 days of labor under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The Zilla Panchayat further offers Rs 12,000 for individual toilets to general candidates and Rs 20,000 for SC/ST beneficiaries under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
“The government needs to increase the grants for construction under the scheme as the current amounts of Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 1.8 lakh are insufficient amid soaring prices for materials and labor,” remarked HM Sambram, former president of the Benakanahalli gram panchayat in T Narasipura taluk.
Speaking to TOI, Mysuru Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer S. Ukesh Kumar stated that Mysuru leads the state in the scheme’s implementation compared to others, where some districts have only achieved 10% completion. He also mentioned that all panchayat development officers would be instructed to expedite house construction under the program.
