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Friday, May 6, 2016

Builders and bankers cheating government and buyers in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Affordable housing is the buzzword since last many years in India. Government floated many schemes under this name . IT also  provided lot of concessions , subsidies and incentives to flat buyers as well as builders. However none of those schemes could provide benefits of  schemes to real needy persons. Because there was no control or authorities to check whether beneficiaries of such schemes were genuine or fake. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana ( PMAY) may achieve same fate if proper care is not taken in its early stages. In PMAY also government has given subsidies to flat buyers and  builders.


Photo courtesy apherald.com

To make available homes to really genuine beneficiaries, the government has put some conditions under PMAY guidelines. There are four schemes under PMAY.  However sine last few months builders are advertising about  only credit linked subsidy  scheme (CLSS ) . Most important factor of  CLSS  is that it is applicable to 4041 statutory towns only . And to avail benefits of CLSS beneficiary must be resident  of that urban area  (Town) only. States/UTs at their discretion, may decide a cutoff date on which beneficiaries need to be resident of that urban area.

The government has put a condition of residence to make available homes to really needy persons near their workplace only. However by providing these home to non-eligible persons builders and primary lending institutes (PLI)  are blatantly flouting these conditions. This is the reason that earlier affordable housing schemes failed and couldn't provide the home to whom they were meant for.   

To avoid duplication or misuse of the scheme PLIs have to take NOCs quarterly from State/UT Governments or designated agency of State/UT Governments for the list of beneficiaries being given benefits under credit linked subsidy. State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) identified by State/Union Territory (UT) for implementing the mission has to facilitate the identified eligible beneficiaries in getting approvals and documents etc., to avail credit linked subsidy. Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and National Housing Bank (NHB) have been identified as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) to channelize this subsidy to the lending institutions and for monitoring the progress of this scheme . However none of the CNA or SLNA are doing their job and hence builders hand in gloves with PLI's cheating innocent people.

 In Maharashtra's case Maharashtra housing and development corporation ( MHADA) is SLNA. However, MHADA hasn't prepared any list of beneficiaries . Hence, PLI's and builders are also flouting the conditions blatantly . Not only that , they  shamelessly advertise fake beneficiaries as genuine and bring other in their net

The PLI and builders are also flouting the norm that the beneficiary family should not own a pucca house (an all whether dwelling unit) either in his/her name or in the name of any member of his/her family in any part of India . This condition is there to ensure that the real homeless people should get home. However, the builders are encouraging investors  and second home buyers to take advantage of CLSS.

Actually, Beneficiary of CLSS has to apply for a housing loan directly or through the Urban Local Body (ULB)  or the local agencies identified by the State/ULBs for facilitating the applications from intended beneficiaries. And PLI 's are  supposed to  link beneficiary identification to Aadhaar, Voter Card, any other unique identification or a certificate of house ownership from Revenue Authority of Beneficiary’s native district to avoid duplication. Builders and PLI's are flouting these conditions also.

In the nutshell, builders and PLI's have started encouraging non-eligible persons to invest and buy the flats under CLSS depriving really homeless persons from having his/her dream home. If proper care is not taken in time the PMAY will met also same fate as earlier schemes. homeless people will remain homeless and builders and PLI's will steal all the benefits meant for homeless.


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