19K Odisha families to lose PMAY houses if land not given by Dec 15

BHUBANESWAR: Around 19,000 landless families of the state will lose housing assistance under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) if the state government doesn’t provide homestead land by December 15, 2022.In a recent circular to states, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has made it clear that the allocated target to landless beneficiaries will be withdrawn and the same will be re-allocated to better performing states.

“All the States/UTs are requested to provide land to landless PMAY-G beneficiaries on priority and sanction houses to landless beneficiaries by December 15, 2022. If the States/UTs fail to do so, the allocated target linked to the landless PMAY-G beneficiaries would be withdrawn from the State/UT and the same will be re-allocated to other better performing States/UTs,” said MoRD deputy director general Gaya Prasad.

Report furnished by the state government to MoRD said it has either provided land or monetary assistance for purchase of land to 39,089 out of 57,932 landless persons for housing assistance. The remaining 18,843 identified beneficiaries are waiting for a piece of land for a long time. In many cases land allocated to the beneficiaries are in dispute.

As the timeline to finish construction of houses under the PMAY-G has been extended from March 2022 to March 2024, the Centre is in no mood to give further extension in view of the next general elections. In an earlier communication in September, MoRD had informed to impose penalty in the shape of deduction of Central share to states with effect from October 1, 2022 for delay in sanction and construction of houses under the flagship PMAY.In 2021-22, the Centre sanctioned 8,17,513 houses to the state but a majority of the beneficiaries have not received allotment order from the government yet.

According to a review last year, 57,257 homestead landless families were in the permanent waiting list for allotment of housing plot while 36,198 families were residing in houses constructed on government lands including 8,575 families under primitive and vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).

The government had directed the Revenue department to find a solution by revising the guidelines in consultation with Forest and Panchayati Raj departments for allotment of housing plot but no significant progress is noticed.

“Providing land to the landless PMAY-G beneficiaries is the responsibility of the state governments. However, land is yet to be provided to 2,79,623 landless PMAY-G beneficiaries majorly from the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Odisha and Bihar which contribute to around 92 per cent of the total remaining landless PMAY-G beneficiaries,” the MoRD letter said.