Guwahati, Mar 14: The Assam government will engage women from self-help groups (SHGs) in geo-tagging beneficiaries for the Prime Minister Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday.
Assam will be the first state to involve ‘Jeevika Sakhis’ in geo-tagging kutcha houses to ensure accurate beneficiary identification. The collected data will be uploaded for verification, Sarma stated at a press conference. Instead of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Jeevika Sakhis from neighboring villages will be responsible for the process.
Beneficiaries can also self-geo-tag their homes by submitting a photograph and address, subject to final verification by a Panchayat and Rural Development Department official. The preliminary survey, conducted under the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM), will be uploaded on the Anwesha portal to identify households excluded from previous surveys.
PMAY-G eligibility includes homeless individuals and households with up to two rooms made of kutcha materials. Those with more than two rooms, excluding kitchens, will not qualify. In tea garden areas, all eligible workers will receive houses within the estates, regardless of their economic association with the management.
From March 17, Jeevika Sakhis will visit households to verify and document potential beneficiaries. The data, including photographs, will be uploaded as part of the process. A gram sabha will be held in each village to raise awareness. Following the initial survey, another gram sabha will finalize the list of beneficiaries, which will then be displayed at block development offices and gram panchayats for public objections. The district-level committee will give final approval before uploading the list on the AWAS+ app.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently announced that 7.6 lakh people in Assam would benefit under PMAY-G, with the first instalment to be disbursed on March 19 at Palasbari in Kamrup. People in areas under the Rabha Hasong Council will receive houses after the council elections. The remaining 3.8 lakh beneficiaries will be allotted houses starting in April, with the process expected to conclude by May. Assam has an overall housing demand of 30 lakh under PMAY-G, with 22 lakh already benefiting or having homes under construction.
Additionally, Sarma highlighted the Chief Minister’s Mahila Udyamita Scheme, under which Rs 10,000 will be provided as the first instalment to 23,000 women in April at Behali. Beneficiaries will receive Rs 25,000 in the second year, with Rs 12,500 as a government grant and the rest as a bank loan, followed by Rs 50,000 in the third year. The total assistance under the scheme will amount to Rs 85,000. Sarma described it as one of the largest women empowerment initiatives in Assam after the Orunodoi scheme.
