The Centre has approved the construction of 1.11 crore houses through two initiatives of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with 95.54 lakh of these houses already completed and delivered to beneficiaries, as stated by Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal during the Rajya Sabha session on Monday.
In response to supplementary questions during the question hour, the minister indicated that a slum survey conducted in 2020 revealed that approximately 6.5 crore individuals, representing 1.39 crore households, reside in slums throughout the nation. “The Centre has sanctioned 1.11 crore houses under both schemes, and 1.10 crore have been initiated, with 95.54 lakh houses completed and handed over,” the minister informed the house. He noted that land and colonization fall under State jurisdiction, and policies and programs concerning slum rehabilitation are managed by the respective states and Union Territories (UTs).
Therefore, the ministry does not maintain data related to slum rehabilitation or relocation, he added. “However, concerning the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD), slum rehabilitation and/or demolitions are conducted by various land-owning agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), among others, in accordance with the provisions of various applicable Acts.
“According to information provided by the DDA, as part of the Slum Rehabilitation /Relocation program, the DDA has executed demolitions after adequately rehabilitating eligible slum dwellers. This process involves a total of 5,158 households, of which 3,414 were deemed eligible for alternative rehabilitation in accordance with the DUSIB policy,” the minister stated in his written response.
He further mentioned that the eligible dwellers have been offered alternative rehabilitation equipped with all modern amenities.Implementing agencies carry out slum rehabilitation initiatives in accordance with their respective land management policies and the slum rehabilitation policies established by States/UTs.
During the process of slum rehabilitation and/or resettlement, land-owning agencies and implementing agencies, along with affected families and beneficiaries, may also request assistance through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) and PMAY-U 2.0, provided that the beneficiaries meet the eligibility criteria, he stated.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has been enhancing the efforts of States/UTs by offering central assistance under PMAY-U since June 25, 2015, aimed at constructing homes for eligible families and beneficiaries, including those residing in slums.
Moreover, drawing from the insights gained during the implementation of PMAY-U, MoHUA has restructured the program and introduced PMAY-U 2.0 ‘Housing for All’ Mission, effective from September 1, 2024, to assist an additional 1 crore eligible beneficiaries in urban regions.
PMAY-U 2.0 is executed through four components: Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH), and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS), he mentioned. Under both PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0, a total of Rs 2.05 lakh crore has been allocated as Central Assistance, of which Rs 1.75 lakh crore has been disbursed to States/UTs and Rs 1.65 lakh crore has been utilized by them.
While slum dwellers have benefited from all components of PMAY-U, Rs 1,800 crore in Central Assistance has been specifically allocated for the In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) component,” the housing minister remarked.
