New Delhi: The Modi government’s ambitious Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Grameen scheme, aiming to construct 4.95 crore affordable homes for rural India by 2029, has hit a major snag in Telangana. A letter from Union Coal and Mines Minister Gangapuram Kishan Reddy to Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy reveals that the previous state government, led by K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), failed to participate in the crucial Awaas 2018+ survey, effectively leaving lakhs of rural families in Telangana ineligible for the scheme.
“The previous government in power in the state did not take part in the Awas 2018+ survey. Therefore, no list of beneficiaries was sent by the Telangana state government to the Union government. As a result, the poor families of rural Telangana who are in need of houses have not received any support and their dream of building houses has remained a dream. The KCR government, which was in power in the state from 2014 to 2023, did not construct houses and deceived the poor people in the name of double-bedroom houses,” Reddy said in his letter to Telangana CM.
The scheme’s second phase, announced in August 2024, will identify beneficiaries based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 Permanent Wait List (PWL) and the Awaas+ (2018) list, but Telangana’s absence from the latter has left its rural population in an unsafe position. ” The identification of beneficiaries for PMAY-Gramin 2.0 will be based on the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census ( SECC) 2011 Permanent Wait List (PWL) and the Awaas+ (2018) list. This will form the basis for allotment of houses,” a letter reads further.
In his letter, Reddy mentioned that the previous Telangana government’s inaction has created a gap, leaving many families in dire need. He requested Telangana CM to collaborate with the Union government and conduct the necessary survey and preparing a list of poor families who need houses in rural Telangana.
Union minister in his letter mentioned that during the trips, he has made across the state of Telangana as a representative, party state president and Union Minister, there have been many people who have asked for support from the government on the issue of housing.
He added that he raised the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Minister of Rural Development and Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the meeting of the Union Cabinet held on 09.08.2024 adding that both of them assured him of complete support to the poor people of Telangana who aspire to have a house of their own.
