SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has completed 1,92,983 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) during the last five financial years, with another 5,930 houses under construction, according to data placed before the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Against a target of 2,05,814 houses allocated to JK between FY 2021-22 and FY 2025-26, the government sanctioned 1,98,913 houses, of which 1,92,983 have been completed, the Ministry of Rural Development said in reply to an Unstarred Question.
The figures mean that around 97 per cent of the sanctioned houses in JK have been completed, while the remaining sanctioned houses are either under construction or awaiting completion.
The Centre has released Rs 2,679.59 crore as its share for PMAY-G implementation in JK during the five-year period, while total utilisation, including both Central and Union Territory shares, stood at Rs 3,212.04 crore.
At the national level, the Ministry said 2.13 crore houses were targeted during the five financial years, against which 1.95 crore were sanctioned and 1.21 crore completed. Another 74.59 lakh sanctioned houses were under construction.
The government has now set an overall target of providing assistance for the construction of 4.95 crore rural houses by March 2029. Of this, targets for 4.18 crore houses have already been allocated to States and Union Territories.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the revised allocation under the extended phase stands at 3,41,644 houses, while Ladakh has been allocated 3,004 houses.
The Ministry also disclosed that release of PMAY-G funds had been withheld or delayed in certain cases where serious implementation irregularities were reported and satisfactory corrective action was not established.
In Odisha, funds were withheld after inquiries found deficiencies relating to beneficiary selection, construction quality, inspections, branding and compliance with scheme guidelines. Following corrective and disciplinary measures and submission of a satisfactory Action Taken Report, fund releases to the State have since resumed.
In West Bengal, the release of the Central share has remained withheld since FY 2022-23 following complaints of irregularities and subsequent verification by monitoring teams. The State’s Action Taken Report is currently under examination.
