Govt announces hike in allocations under Indira Awas Yojana

New Delhi: Centre today announced a hike in allocation of grants for construction of houses for BPL families under the Indira Awas Yojana from Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000 per dwelling unit. For hilly and Naxal affected areas, the grants for constructing houses under the scheme will go up from Rs 48,500 crore to Rs 80,000, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said here. [caption id=“attachment_425350” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] “The outlay for IAY in 2012-2013 was Rs 11000 crore and target was 32 lakh houses. It was for BPL families. Now, Rs 45000 has become Rs 75000. But for hilly areas and Naxal affected areas Rs 48500 will go upto Rs 80000,” he told reporters here. The hike will take effect on April 1, 2013. IAY has been in operation since 1985-1986. Ramesh, who is also the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, said Rs 9000 will be given separately to IAY beneficiaries for constructing toilets. The Government has also launched a new scheme for providing rural house sites for landless people. “We are giving Rs 10000 for a site of 100 to 250 sq meters. This is over and above Rs 75000,” the Minister said. At present, the financial assistance provided for new construction in the form of full grant is Rs 45,000 per unit for plain areas and Rs 48,500 for hilly/difficult terrains. Currently, there is no separate provision for toilets. The Centre has also asked every state government to set up a state fund for IAY like the MNREGA. Ramesh admitted that IAY is the worst implemented programme in the Rural Development Ministry and steps would be made to “clean up” the programme. “IAY is the worst implemented programme in the RD Ministry. Leakages are maximum, eligible beneficiaries don’t get the house and ineligible beneficiaries get the house. It is the most corruption ridden programme of MoRD. So, we really want to clean up IAY,” he said. PTI