Self-survey, facial recognition to be used in new survey for PMAY-G second phase: Sources

New Delhi: With the Centre approving construction of additional two crore houses under the PMAY-G, a fresh list of beneficiaries will be created after a survey as per updated criteria, which will for the first time allow 'self-survey' for those wanting to enroll in the scheme. 

According to a source from the Rural Development Ministry, for the first time, facial recognition technology will be used for both surveyors and those surveyed to maintain transparency.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), the flagship rural housing scheme launched in 2016, had a target of construction of 2.95 crore pucca houses in five years.

According to the Rural Development Ministry, 2.67 crore houses have been constructed under PMAY-G since the launch of the scheme, while around 77 lakh houses pending under the Indira Gandhi Awas Yojana have also been completed.  According to government officials, remaining 35 lakh houses that were not built by March 31 would also be completed to achieve the cumulative target of 2.95 crore houses of the previous phase.

The second phase of the scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this year, targets construction of additional two crore houses, for which Rs 1.20 lakh is given to eligible families in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in Northeastern states and the hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. 

The rural housing scheme allocations were earlier made on the basis of the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 Permanent Wait List (PWL), and then on the basis of the Awaas+ (2018) list. However, in 20 out of 35 states, both lists have saturated, leading to the requirement for a fresh survey.

This time, as the criteria to qualify for the scheme has been relaxed, with certain caps being removed, the official source said a fresh survey was required to ensure no eligible beneficiaries are left out. 

"The last survey was done in 2018; the situation has changed since then. So fresh surveys will be undertaken through the Awas plus app," the source said.  To ensure transparency, surveyors have been identified across the over 2.5 lakh panchayats in the country, while more than one surveyor may be appointed for panchayats with higher population. 

The ministry aims to complete the survey in three months. 

"To ensure transparency, we have for the first time added a face-based authentication feature. Earlier we used to find difficulties in identifying the surveyor. This time, surveyors have been appointed at different panchayats, who will perform a face authentication of the beneficiary, along with Aadhaar verification," the source said. 

"The surveyor will also have to undergo a face authentication while submitting the survey, this will ensure that the surveyor is physically present," the source added. 

For those who may miss getting surveyed can do so through the Awas plus application themselves. However, only one self-survey can be done from a phone. 

The source added that the process of the survey has already begun and a workshop was held for the surveyors through video-conferencing last week to train them on using the mobile application.

Under the updated criteria for eligibility, certain conditions, which earlier made people ineligible for PMAY-G, have been removed. These include families having two-wheelers, refrigerators, mechanised fishing boats, and landline phones. 

While earlier those who had a family member earning more than Rs 10,000 a month were ineligible, this cap has been increased to Rs 15,000 under the new criteria. Those with irrigated land under 2.5 acres, or unirrigated land under 5 acres are also now eligible for the scheme.

Under the second phase of PMAY-G, two crore more houses will be constructed in the next five years from FY 2024-2029 to address housing needs that have arisen over the years. This is expected to benefit nearly 10 crore individuals.