Question : Transparency in PMAY-G

(a) the details of the provisions made for ensuring transparency in selection of beneficiaries, quality and timely construction of houses under Pradhan MantriAwasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

(b) the monitoring mechanism put in place to ensure transparency and to take strict action in case of any discrimination in selection of beneficiaries, compromise in quality and delays in completion of construction work;

(c) whether any action was taken against any officials for the above mentioned violations since the launching of the scheme and if so, the details thereof, State/ UT-wise and if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) whether some persons are charging commission for providing housing under the scheme and if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon, State/ UT-wise; and

(e) the steps being taken/ proposed to be taken by the Government for the effective implementation of the said scheme?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a), (b), (c) and (e): To ensure transparency in selection of beneficiaries in PMAY-G, objectively verifiable norms and parameters reflecting housing deprivation from the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data are being used to determine eligibility under the scheme. Priority lists, prepared using SECC data, are being verified by the Gram Sabha (GS) and the Gram Sabha resolution is uploaded on the MIS-AwaasSoft. Any grievance is placed before the Appellate Committee constituted at the district level. The entire process leading up to the finalisation of the priority lists can be monitored and tracked through reports available in the public domain on the MIS.
Other transparency measures include monitoring and assessment of the scheme by Performance Review Committee, Area Officers, National Level Monitors and DISHA Committee which is headed by an Hon’ble Member of Parliament. For community oversight on the scheme, social audits have been made a mandatory feature of PMAY-G which are to be conducted in every Gram Panchayat at least once in a year.

To ensure quality of house, availability of skilled masons in the rural areas is important. Accordingly, Ministry is undertaking training, assessment and certification of rural masons by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). For regular monitoring of house construction and provide requisite technical facilitation to the beneficiary, field functionaries are being tagged/mapped with each of them. To ensure variety and quality of house, a wide menu of zone wise house design typologies, incorporating disaster resilient features, is made available to PMAY-G beneficiaries including on Rural Housing Knowledge Network (RHKN) web portal.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the beneficiaries has reduced instances of delayed payments thereby facilitating timely construction. The mobile Application ‘AwaasApp’ has empowered officials and citizens to capture geo-referenced, time and date stamped photographs of the house at various stages of construction thereby reducing time lags in verification and expediting disbursal of assistance to the beneficiaries. Constitution of Programme Management Units (PMU) for supervision, MIS based monitoring and social mobilization, etc. are some other measures to ensure timely completion of house construction. Some States provide performance incentives to beneficiaries and field level functionaries to incentivise prompt construction of house under PMAY-G.

Since construction of house under PMAY-G is beneficiary led, there is no provision for penalising poor quality or delayed construction. Instead the State Government have been advised to incentivise, encourage and provide requisite technical support to the beneficiaries to enable timely and quality construction.

(d) No instance of persons charging commission for providing housing under the scheme has come to the notice of the Ministry of Rural Development.

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