Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana moving at snail's pace in Arunachal, says nodal officer

Itanagar: Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (Gramin) has been going slow in Arunachal Pradesh with only 4,517 of the targeted 34,042 beneficiaries getting central assistance of Rs 1.3 lakh from 2016-17 fiscal till 2020-21.

PMAY (G) Nodal Officer Tamo Rebi said this during a webinar organised by the Itanagar branch of Regional Outreach Bureau (ROB) on Friday.

He attributed the slow implementation to the state model where the beneficiary and vendor get four instalments in online mode, as established in February.

He said the state government approached the Central Rural Development department for changing the funding pattern of 25:40:40:25 to 100% for the beneficiary.

The estimated cost of each dwelling unit, designed by the PWD, is Rs 2.5 lakh where Rs 1.2 lakh comes for the beneficiary in the form of materials. Of the remaining Rs 1.3 lakh, the central share is Rs 1.17 lakh (90 per cent).

Also Read: For third day in a row no new COVID-19 case in Arunachal Pradesh

Rebi requested the FOB to visit the BDO office and seek details about the registered beneficiaries and educate them at the village level.

“The scheme is currently applicable to the tribal people, and 2,247 units have been completed during 2020-21. Efforts are on to get Rs 50,000-80,000 per unit as an additional grant from the state government to reduce the burden on the beneficiaries,” he said.

Referring to the Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana, Rebi said since 2014 seven model villages have been developed under this scheme, but no village has been selected since 2019. The seven villages are in West Siang, Changlang, East Kameng and Lower Dibang Valley (one each) and East Siang (three) districts.

ROB, Itanagar director H R Keshavamurthy said the ministry of rural development is implementing several welfare schemes as part of the ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Gaon, Sabka Vikas’ initiative to double farmers’ income by 2020.

He emphasised the need to create awareness to provide maximum benefits to the poor.

The webinar was attended by the officials of ROB, Itanagar, and its field outreach bureaus of Tawang, Bomdila, Tezu, Pasighat and Aalo.

Notably, 2 crore houses are to be constructed by 2022, the 75th year of India’s independence, on credit-linked or beneficiary assistance mode for families without a house.