Room for each family, 2 crore houses in rural India: FM

NEW DELHI: Continuing on its rural policy tilt unveiled recently with the Union budget, the government on Wednesday approved the “House for All” scheme to construct 2.95 crore houses in rural areas, setting a 2022 deadline.The Centre has already rolled out the urban component of the scheme with a target of two crore houses.The estimated expenditure for implementing the housing project from 2016-19 is Rs 81,975 crore. “It is proposed that one crore households would be provided assistance for construction of pucca house from 2016 to 2019. The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout India except Delhi and Chandigarh,” a Cabinet statement said after the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Taken together with the budget proposals, the recast rural housing scheme — earlier known as Indira Awas Yojana — reflects the government’s resolve to woo Bharat and go where the votes are. It seeks to balance the perception about its interest areas and buffer itself from the charges of being a “suit boot sarkar”. The recent finance budget has made higher allocations for rural economy and the poor.Of the total expenditure estimated in housing for all, Rs 68,000 crore would be provided through budgetary provisions, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters, adding the rest of Rs 21,975 crore will come from borrowing through Nabard.The “House for All” scheme will be implemented across the country except Delhi and Chandigarh, and its beneficiaries will be identified through the socio-economic caste census.Importantly, the new scheme has enhanced the unit assistance to Rs 1,20,000 in plain areas and to Rs 1,30,000 in hilly states/difficult areas /IAP districts.