THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala: As per the revised guidelines, beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)-LIFE housing projects are now eligible to build houses even outside the territorial limits of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Before the revised guidelines, the beneficiaries had to purchase land within the jurisdiction of the urban local bodies as it was hard to geotag houses at the various stages of their construction.
Now, the revised guidelines direct the urban local bodies to undertake a separate project, with prior approval of the district planning committee, specifically for the beneficiaries who have purchased the land in the area that falls under the control of other urban local bodies. And the people who have missed out on the detailed project report (DPR) of the urban local bodies can also be included.
While planning for such projects, beneficiaries coming from the general, Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe categories can be allocated an amount of ₹4 lakh to build their house. However, people of the Schedule Tribe who own land within the tribal areas can be allocated an amount of ₹6 lakh.
Out of the total allocated amount of four lakh, three lakh will be provided by the respective urban local bodies, while the remaining one lakh will come from the state government. ULBs have also been allowed to use their development funds or other funds. If the civic bodies are short of funds, they can avail of a loan of ₹2 lakh per beneficiary from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO). The Secretary of the urban local body that provides funding for the construction of houses has to ensure that the house is geotagged at each stage of the construction. Apart from that, they are also responsible for ensuring that 90 days of work is provided to the beneficiaries under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as per the provisions of the LIFE project.