2024 Lok Sabha polls: Housing schemes and promises to voters

Sub: Schemes

Sec: Infra

Context:

As the 2024 elections drew near, various political parties attempted to woo voters with schemes, freebies and promises.

India’s housing crisis:

According to a Government of India report in 2012, an estimated 18.78 million more houses were required to cater to the housing demand in the country.
The share of affordable housing in overall sales during the first half of 2023 saw a sharp decline as compared to the first half of 2022.

Right to Housing:

A right to housing has been held to be a part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution by the Supreme Court.

Timeline of Policy measures:

There was no explicit housing policy in place till well after India attained Independence.
1985:
- The first policy intervention from the Government came in 1985, with the Indira Awaas Yojana, which was focused on rural housing.
2004:
- After 2004, urban housing came into focus with programmes such as reform-led infrastructure investment schemes for cities and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), launched in 2005.
2008:
- In 2008, the Parekh Committee report on housing led to urban housing interventions such as the Rajiv Awas Yojana and Rajiv Rinn Yojna.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna:

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is a credit-linked subsidy scheme by the Government of India to facilitate access to affordable housing for the low and moderate-income residents of the country.
It envisaged a target of building 2 crore affordable houses by 31 March 2022.

PM Awas Yojna Urban:

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched on 25th June 2015.

The duration of the PMAY-U was initially seven years, from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22.
It has now been extended up to December 31, 2024- with all verticals except Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) – to complete houses sanctioned up to March 31, 2022.

Components of PM Awas Yojna Urban:

Components	About
In-situ slum redevelopment	This is done with the participation of private developers. Beneficiary households are granted Rs 1 lakh by the Centre. Besides this, State governments often match this amount, and additional funds may be provided by urban local bodies.
Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)	A subsidy is offered on home loan interest rates.
Affordable housing in partnership with public or private sector	Under this, the government provides incentives for building affordable housing. In a project where 35% of homes are built for economically weaker sections (EWS), the central government provides funds of Rs 1.5 lakh per EWS house.
Beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement (BLC)	This applies to eligible families in the EWS section who have land or homes in need of upgradation. The Centre makes available funds of Rs 1.5 lakh for individual families, and States and urban local bodies may add another Rs. 1 lakh to this amount.

A temporary fifth vertical was recently introduced in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) were added in 2020 to provide sustainable and inclusive affordable rental housing avenues for urban migrants/poor.

What is Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin?

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin was launched by the Modi government in 2016 with the aim of constructing 2.95 crore houses, to further the “Housing for All” scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Aawas Yojana, previously Indira Awas Yojana, is a social welfare programme, created by the Indian Government, to provide housing for the rural poor in India.

Other State Housing Schemes:

Navaratnalu-Pedalandariki Illu scheme of Andhra Pradesh aimed at construction of 21.76 lakh houses, with an outlay of ₹56,700 crore.