Slum dwellers to get Rs 2.5 lakh subsidy on constructions costs

Mumbai: In a recent government resolution (GR), the central government has granted a subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakh to slum dwellers eligible under the PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) scheme. Under the PMAY scheme, slum dwellers are entitled to get a house but have to bear construction costs of up to Rs 10 lakh. Now, with this GR, Rs 2.5 lakh will be deducted from the construction costs slum dwellers have to bear.

A senior official from MHADA said, “If it is verified and proven that slum dwellers are eligible under the criteria set by PMAY, they are bound to get a subsidy from the total construction costs. The slum dwellers should come under the income criteria set by the government, and should possess any ownership of any house in the country. If these two aspects are fulfilled, they are eligible to avail the subsidy.”

The PMAY scheme aims at eradication of slums and housing for all in the state by 2022.

The state had announced protection under the PMAY scheme to slums that had come up between 2000 and 2011.

The SRA decided that housing will not be provided free-of-cost and that construction costs will be levied.

Meanwhile, a GIS mapping of slum clusters in the city carried out by the SRA has revealed that there are over 2,400 slum clusters in the city, with the maximum number in Andheri east.

The authority is also conducting a biometric survey to verify eligibility of slum dwellers.

According to SRA estimates, there are around five lakh slum dwellers residing in various slum pockets of the city. The door-to-door biometric survey for identifying the eligible slum dwellers was kick-started in 2016, however only 50 per cent of the survey has been completed so far. Biometric survey data will be made online. The citizens can use the special ID given to them after the survey to check the progress of rehabilitation of that particular area. Currently, the data of survey is only available for SRA officials.