Housing schemes are available to the citizens of India through the government while being aided in implementation by NGOs. These schemes are essentially programs that help achieve a vision defined by a policy. For example, the availability of an adequate dwelling unit in case of housing. Housing schemes work towards identifying the areas of shortage, affected individuals, the amount of the shortage, the budget that needs to be allotted to help individuals, and methods for the same. Each scheme works towards one or more of these roles, often based on whether it applies to an urban or a rural area. In India, an urban area is identified using a three-tiered definition. It can be one with at least 5000 inhabitants, a density of a minimum of 400 people per sq. km. and at least 75% of the male working population engaged in non-farming activities. Rural areas encompass anything that is below these numbers. To better understand the different housing schemes in our country, here is a compilation of the most relevant ones, divided according to the level of their operation.
Central Schemes
1. PMAY (Urban) – Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) was implemented on 25th June 2015. Its goal is to provide housing for everyone in urban areas by the year 2022. It aimed to do so by boosting the affordability of houses across the nation, at a time when the real estate sector was inflated. Shortlisted candidates for PMAY Urban are eligible for a subsidy of Rs. 2.67 lakh through its Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme. There are 5 categories for a person to be eligible. Applicants can be from SC/ST, women, and families belonging to EWS, LIG, or MIG I/MIG II. The scheme is only for first-time homeowners, so its applicant or any member of their family cannot be a pucca homeowner in any part of the country or be availing benefits of any other housing scheme. To apply for this scheme, click here.
2. PMAY (Rural) – The main objectives are to promote accessibility and affordable housing for rural India. Candidates will receive subsidies to build their houses. Units falling in plain areas will receive Rs. 1.20 lakh of assistance per unit, the cost being shared in a 60:40 ratio between Centre and State. In hilly states, the subsidy will be Rs. 1.30 lakh to make up for the difficulty in construction, and the cost will be shared in a 90:10 ratio between the Centre and State. Candidates will be shortlisted if a family is homeless, or has zero, one or two rooms with a kutcha wall and kutcha roof. Also, any household without a literate adult above 25 years, without any adult member between 16-59 years, any adult member between 16-59 years, or without any able-bodied and disabled member is eligible. Landless households who derive income from casual labor, as well as SC, ST, Others, and Minorities, are eligible as well. To apply for this scheme, click here.
State Schemes
1. MHADA Lottery scheme (Maharashtra) – Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority launched its lottery scheme in 2012 where they aim to provide affordable housing options to the lottery winners. The flats are divided based on the income of the applicant’s household. Households with income range up to Rs. 25,000 are eligible for EWS (economically weaker section) flats, income from Rs. 25,001 to Rs. 50,000 for LIG (Lower income group) flats, income from Rs. 50,001 to 75,000 for MIG (middle income group) flats and income of Rs. 75,001 and above for HIG (Higher Income Group) flats. Pricing for EWS flats is up to Rs. 20 lakh, for LIG flats, is from Rs. 20 lakh to Rs. 30 lakh, for MIG flats is from Rs. 35 lakh to Rs. 60 lakh, and for HIG flats is from Rs. 60 lakh to Rs. 5.8 crore. An applicant is eligible for this scheme if they are of 18 years of age. They need to have a domicile certificate proving their residence in Maharashtra for 15 years, along with a PAN card and a stable income source. You can also apply for this scheme through the PMAY scheme, thus availing a subsidy of 2.67 lakh through it. To apply for this scheme, click here.
2. Ramai Awas Gharkul Yojana (Maharashtra) – Launched in 2021, this scheme was established to provide housing to people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes, and Neo-Buddhists. The only criteria are that they should be permanent inhabitants of the state coming below the poverty line. The scheme provides financial aid of Rs. 1.20 lakh for house construction. Beneficiaries are also given 90 days of employment through MGNREGA and get paid Rs. 18,000. Another Rs. 12,000 is provided for the construction of toilets through Swachh Bharat Mission. To apply for this scheme, click here.
3. Basava Vasati Yojana (Karnataka) – A scheme that aids by providing raw material for construction instead of just monetary aid, Basavati Vasati Yojana was launched in 2021. Applicants can receive up to 85% of the materials that they require to build a shelter, as long as they have land to build on. Eligibility is for individuals on or below the poverty line, belonging to SC, ST, and OBC groups. The individual’s annual income should not exceed Rs. 32,000 and cannot own a pucca house anywhere in the country. To apply for this scheme, click here.
4. YSR Housing Scheme (Andhra Pradesh) – An initiative by Andhra Pradesh State Housing Corporation Ltd. (APSHCL), the YSR Housing scheme was launched on 12th July 2019, to support the urban poor of Andhra Pradesh. It aims to provide housing for the urban poor, middle income, and lower income groups at subsidized rates, along with adequate infrastructure to support them. It builds houses of 340 sq. ft. with living rooms, bedrooms, toilets, kitchens, and verandahs. It even provides two ceiling fans, two tube lights, four bulbs, and a water storage tank. Each housing colony built through this scheme will have its primary school, an Anganwadi, a park, and a digital library. Anyone who is a permanent resident of the state of AP, and who doesn’t own a land or house of their own is eligible. To apply for this scheme, click here.
5. GHB Scheme – The Gujarat Housing Board has developed a scheme for its residents to be able to buy affordable dwelling units. Under this scheme, residents get easy loans for buying houses, with subsidized interest rates. Its primary purpose is to provide a better quality of housing for people, one with improved infrastructure such as water supply, electricity, RCC roads, lifts for multi-story buildings, etc. It even provides Granite kitchen platforms and aluminum glass sliding doors and windows in LIG/MIG flats. To apply for this scheme, click here.
Housing schemes work as a means to support aspiring homeowners. They may not give away housing free of cost, but they work as a system to make it possible for people to begin standing on their own feet. Adequate housing is a culmination of many requisites, such as sanitation, supply of water and electricity, condition of dwelling units, etc. and each requisite has a scheme that works to provide it to the people. Finding the right ones to suit their needs, while also being eligible for them, is what people often find tiresome, thus leading them to not reaping its benefits. Through this blog, Visava hopes to form a bridge between its users and the housing schemes that they can take advantage of so that they too can make complete use of our tool and turn their dream of a home into a reality.