Around 2.84 lakh houses have been registered on a waitlist for future implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) scheme, Community and Rural Development Minister Abu Taher Mondal informed today.
In the last two years, PMAY-G built 1 lakh houses for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in rural Meghalaya.
Mondal said his department has been working diligently to implement the scheme, ensuring that houses listed in previous surveys and waitlists are being completed.
“From 2023 to 2024, we completed around 66,000 houses. In 2024–25, we aim to complete another 46,000 houses. Previously, it would take many years to reach those numbers, but in the past two years alone, we’ve crossed 1 lakh,” the minister stated.
For the current financial year, the department has set a target of completing around 50,000 houses.
Mondal added that a fresh survey has been conducted and 2.84 lakh new households have been registered on the waitlist for future implementation of the scheme.
“If this waitlist is approved, it could ensure that maximum eligible families are covered under PMAY-G in the coming years. We are optimistic and have already directed all Block Development Officers (BDOs) to spread awareness through village secretaries and local leaders so that more people can register.”
When asked about the possibility of misuse, where ineligible families may be availing the scheme, Mondal clarified that the selection process follows strict guidelines.
“There are clear criteria to identify beneficiaries. For example, families owning four-wheelers, smartphones, or pucca houses are not eligible. While self-identification is allowed, each case is verified before approval,” he said.
He admitted that if government employees or ineligible families have managed to get benefits, it could be due to lapses, but the department works to ensure that only genuine BPL families benefit from the scheme.
Addressing the challenges around land availability in Meghalaya, Mondal clarified that the scheme is strictly for rural areas, and one of the key requirements is ownership of land.
“This is a rural housing scheme and land ownership is essential to avail the benefit. There is no provision to build housing complexes or society-type units because that involves land ownership disputes and cost complications,” he explained.
He added that beneficiaries also get support from other government schemes like 95 person-days of wage support through MGNREGA for house construction, loans from banks or self-help groups, toilet construction under Swachh Bharat Mission and LPG connections and other basic utilities.
