No Eligible Family Should Be Left Out of PM Awas Yojana Rural Benefits: DM Indra Vikram Singh

Ghaziabad, India — District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh has emphasized the need to ensure that no eligible family is left out of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for rural areas. Singh directed officials to conduct a door-to-door survey and make every possible effort to inform every individual about the scheme’s benefits.

In a meeting held at the district collectorate on Friday, Singh, along with Chief Development Officer (CDO) Abhinav Gopal, District Development Officer Pragya Srivastava, and Block Development Officers, discussed the implementation and revision of standards for the PMAY scheme. The meeting focused on identifying eligible beneficiaries and updating the Awas Plus 2018 list.

Key points discussed included changes in eligibility and ineligibility criteria, as well as the selection process. Officials explored ways to enhance transparency in the process. Singh instructed CDO Gopal to hold a press conference to brief journalists on the revised standards and survey strategy to inform the public.

The District Magistrate also directed that each village’s gram panchayat secretary should organize meetings to provide detailed information about the standards and survey procedures to local residents and representatives. Secretaries are to be appointed as surveyors and are responsible for ensuring that no eligible beneficiary is overlooked.

Additionally, public information about eligibility criteria and ineligibility should be displayed on public walls in villages. The survey will involve visiting households to include all potential beneficiaries and ensuring that no eligible ones are missed.

For farmers with credit cards of ₹50,000 or more, their lists will be provided by leading bank managers to project directors and block development officers. Each gram panchayat will maintain a register of beneficiaries for the 2024 selection process, which block development officers will review.

Block development officers will also hold meetings with village heads, block members, and gram panchayat secretaries to discuss the housing survey and new standards. Beneficiaries will receive ₹1.20 lakh in three installments directly to their bank accounts, along with 90 days of wage employment under the MGNREGA scheme. The housing standard will be 25 square meters.

Singh instructed that only designated surveyors should conduct the surveys; private or contract workers are not permitted to carry out the work. Awareness meetings at the block level will be held weekly.

The scheme targets vulnerable groups, including the homeless, beggars, manual scavengers, primitive tribal groups, and freed bonded laborers. Ineligible families include those with motorized vehicles, mechanized agricultural equipment credit limits above ₹50,000, government employees, non-agricultural enterprise registered families, families with members earning over ₹15,000 per month, income taxpayers, families owning 2.5 acres or more of irrigated land, or 5 acres or more of un-irrigated land.

CDO Abhinav Gopal elaborated on the revised standards, stating that eligibility criteria have been reduced from 13 to 10. He assured that the revised standards would help include more deserving beneficiaries in the scheme.

This push aims to maximize the benefits of PMAY for rural residents and ensure that the scheme reaches all eligible individuals effectively.