**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Rural Development addressed concerns regarding construction quality and electrical safety in houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAYG), launched on April 1, 2016, with a target of 4.95 crore houses. The policy outlines grievance redressal mechanisms, monitoring processes, and corrective measures to ensure structural safety, electrification, and accountability. Evaluations by NIPFP, NIRDPR, and NITI Aayog have assessed the scheme's governance, impact, and cross-sectional themes.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Grievance Redressal:**
* A grievance redressal mechanism exists at Gram Panchayat, Block, District, and State levels.
* Designated officials must resolve complaints within 15 days.
* Complaints can be lodged via the CPGRAMS portal, IGRS, or CM helpline.
* **Scheme Monitoring and Evaluation:**
* PMAYG is closely monitored at all levels as a beneficiary-led scheme.
* Evaluations by NIPFP found reduced completion times and increased demand for construction materials.
* NIRDPR studies indicate improved living conditions and socioeconomic benefits for beneficiaries.
* NITI Aayog assessed PMAYG's performance regarding accountability, gender mainstreaming, and IT use.
* **Corrective Measures for Structural Safety:**
* Provision of diverse house designs suitable for local conditions, including disaster-resilient features.
* States/UTs are responsible for ensuring the availability of quality construction materials.
* Promotion of environment-friendly construction designs through CSR funding.
* Facilitation of material access and trained masons by Gram Panchayats.
* Support from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for quality building material production.
* Convergence with other government schemes for additional support.
* Rural Mason Training (RMT) program to increase the availability of trained masons.
* **Technology and Transparency:**
* Social audits and National Level Monitors (NLM) for accountability.
* Micro-monitoring using PMAYG Dashboard and IT tools.
* Awaas 2024 app for assisted surveys, technology selection, and data capture.
* AI/ML model to curb fraudulent activity.
* Recommendation System for photo approval.
* eKYC App integrated with Aadhaar for beneficiary verification.
* Liveliness Detection feature for beneficiary identification.
* 100% Aadhaar-based payments.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Beneficiaries:**
* *Impact:* Improved housing, living standards, and socioeconomic conditions. Increased safety and security due to better construction quality. Access to grievance redressal mechanisms.
* *Action Required:* Utilize available resources for house construction, participate in surveys, and report grievances as needed.
* **State Governments/UT Administrations:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for implementing and monitoring the PMAYG scheme. Required to address grievances and ensure the quality of construction.
* *Action Required:* Designate grievance redressal officials, ensure material availability, promote disaster-resilient designs, and monitor scheme implementation.
* **Implementing Agencies:**
* *Impact:* Held accountable for the structural safety and quality of houses built under PMAYG. Subject to audits and monitoring.
* *Action Required:* Adhere to scheme guidelines, ensure proper construction practices, and cooperate with monitoring and audit processes.
* **Gram Panchayats:**
* *Impact:* Facilitate access to materials and trained masons for beneficiaries.
* *Action Required:* Assist beneficiaries in accessing construction materials, identify trained masons, and support scheme implementation at the local level.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAYG): A rural housing scheme launched on 1st April 2016, aiming to provide housing for all eligible rural households by providing financial assistance for house construction.
Ministry of Rural Development: The government ministry responsible for the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAYG) scheme and rural development initiatives.
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP): An organization that conducted an evaluation of the governance parameters of PMAYG, including the impact assessment of Direct Benefit Transfer.
National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR): An organization that conducted an impact assessment of PMAYG to evaluate the program's success in improving living conditions and socioeconomic factors of beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal.
NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India that conducted an evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), including PMAYG.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS): A Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) that was evaluated alongside PMAYG by NITI Aayog.
Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS): A portal (pgportal.gov.in) for lodging complaints related to PMAYG and other government schemes.
Awaas App: A mobile application designed under PMAYG to facilitate assisted surveys, housing technology selection, face authentication, and data capture for the scheme's implementation and monitoring.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4290
ANSWERED ON 19/08/2025
SAFETY HAZARDS IN PMAY HOUSING
4290. Shri TanujPunia:
Dr. KadiyamKavya:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware of incidents of poor-quality
construction and electrical safety hazards in houses built
under the Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana - Gramin (PMAY-G);
(b) if so, the details of such incidents reported since 2021, State
and year-wise;
(c) whether the Ministry has conducted any safety audits or third-
party evaluations of PMAY-G houses post-occupancy,
especially in flood and monsoon-prone areas; and
(d) the corrective measures taken by the Government to ensure
structural safety, safe electrification, and accountability of
implementing agencies in the scheme?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI)
(a) & (b): The Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) was
launched on 1st April, 2016 to achieve the objective of “Housing For
All” a total target of 4.95 crore houses is set under PMAY-G. One
time financial assistance is provided to eligible rural households
and houses are constructed by beneficiaries themselves. The focus
of PMAY-G is on construction of quality houses by the beneficiaries
using local materials, appropriate house designs and trained rural
masons.
As per Framework for Implementation (FFI) of PMAY-G, there is
a grievance redressal mechanism set up at different levels of
administration viz., Gram Panchayat, Block, District and the State.
An official of the State Government is to be designated at each level
to ensure disposal of grievances to the satisfaction of the
complainant. The official who is designated at each level is
Page 1 of 6responsible for disposing off the grievance / complaint within a
period of 15 days from the date of receipt of the grievance /
complaint.
There is also a procedure of lodging of complaints on the
Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System
(CPGRAMS) portal (pgportal.gov.in) by the public. The complaints
received in the Ministry of Rural Development through CPGRAMS or
otherwise are forwarded to the respective State Governments/
Union Territory (Union Territory) Administrations for redressal of the
grievance. Apart from this, there are mechanisms like IGRS and CM
helpline at the State Level for grievance redressal.
(c): The PMAY-G is a beneficiary led scheme wherein the house is
constructed by the beneficiary himself/herself or under his/her
supervision. The scheme is monitored very closely at all levels. The
details of studies conducted for evaluation of the scheme are as
under :-
I. “Evaluation of Governance Parameters of Pradhan
MantriAwaasYojana – Gramin” by National Institute of Public
Finance and Policy (NIPFP)
A three phased study on "Evaluation of Governance Parameters of
Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana - Gramin" was conducted by NIPFP
which also included impact assessment of Direct Benefit Transfer in
reduction of leakages. The main findings of the evaluation report
are as under:
i. Average number of days taken for completion of PMAYG
houses was 314 days which is reduced to 114 days in 2017-18.
ii. Increased demand for the construction-related materials has
generated additional jobs in the economy.
iii. There is a significant increase in the mean expenditures which
is mostly driven by an increased expenditure on food items
post- PMAY-G as compared to the pre-PMAY-G house
indicating an improved living standard.
iv. A considerable reduction in open defecation post-PMAY-G
house has been observed due to construction of toilets leading
to improved health status of the PMAY-G household members.
v. There has been a significant increase in the use of LPG gas
among PMAY-G households.
Page 2 of 6II. “Impact Assessment of PMAY-G” by National Institute of Rural
Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR)
The study was conducted by NIRD &PR to assess to what extent
were the program objectives met with regard to improving the
physical conditions of the target population; and socio-economic
improvements experienced by the target population, as a result of
owning a new house. It was conducted in three states viz. Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal (Covering 24 Gram Panchayats in
six districts, interviewing 1382 PMAY-G beneficiaries). The main
findings of the evaluation report are as under:
i. PMAY-G house has decreased the burden of house
maintenance.
ii. PMAY-G has made significant impact on the lives of
beneficiaries – both in terms of physical facilities provided and
subject well-being.
iii. PMAY-G have slightly reduced congestion in houses by
providing two or more rooms.
iv. On indicators such as social status, self-worth, confidence
level, feeling of ownership, feeling of safety & security, self-
perceived improvement in health, overall quality of life, and
satisfaction about the new house, PMAY-G beneficiaries feel
much better, compared to the beneficiaries who are waitlisted
under PMAY-G i.e. the beneficiaries who have not yet received
the PMAY-G house.
III. NITI Aayog – “Evaluation of CSS Scheme – Rural Development
Sector” in respect of PMAY-G - 2020-21 :
Under the evaluation study sponsored by Development Monitoring
and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog, a detailed scheme level
analysis of the 6 selected Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS):
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS), Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana- Gramin (PMAY-G),
National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP),
DeendayalAntyodayaYojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission
(DAY-NRLM), Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) and
Shyama Prasad MukherjiRurban Mission (SPMRM) was done. Each of
these schemes has been evaluated using the REESI+E framework
against the Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability,
Impact and Equity. Under the study, the performance of PMAY-G has
been assessed on cross sectional themes like accountability and
transparency, gender mainstreaming, use of IT, reforms and
Page 3 of 6regulations etc. The main findings of the evaluation report are as
under:
i. Ease of living of beneficiaries is enhanced due to construction
of the house. It has led improvements in standard of living with
construction of house.
ii. PMAY-G has been able to ensure efficient use of technology
for smooth implementation of scheme. Geo-tagging of houses,
house quality review module, tech-savvy financial modules
leverage quite well on technology.
iii. Gender Mainstreaming is actively encouraged under PMAY-G.
Providing house in the name of female beneficiaries, allocation
of house to transgender people, capacity building of women to
become AwaasMitras contribute towards gender
mainstreaming within the scheme.
iv. Satisfaction of beneficiaries towards the application process
was positive, with significant assistance and support provided.
(d): The Government has taken several corrective measures to
maintain the quality of construction of houses and to ensure
structural safety in the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-
G):-
i. The beneficiaries are being assisted in house construction by
States/UTs with a bouquet of house design typologies
inclusive of disaster resilient features that are suitable to their
local geo-climatic conditions, cultural preferences and
availability of construction material.
ii. States/ UTs have also been asked to take necessary steps to
ensure the sustained availability of good quality construction
materials.
iii. The State/UT may tap into CSR funding / assistance and
funding from bilateral/multilateral agencies to promote
environment friendly green construction designs, technologies
and materials.
iv. The Gram Panchayats may facilitate beneficiaries in
accessing materials required for construction at reasonable
rates and help in identification of trained masons.
v. Further, Self-Help Groups (SHG) can undertake production of
quality building materials for supplying the same to the
beneficiaries of PMAY-G at reasonable rates.
vi. PMAY-G converges with other government schemes to provide
additional support for house construction, including
assistance for toilet construction and employment
opportunities, etc.
Page 4 of 6vii. Training to Rural Masons under Rural Mason Training (RMT)
programme to make available pool of trained rural masons for
faster construction of quality houses.
Page 5 of 6The technology-based solutions are also being used under the
scheme to maximize transparency and accountability to ensure
sanctity in the process right from the identification to completion of
the houses as per the detailed below:
i. Regular conducting of Social Audits, monitoring by National
Level Monitors (NLM) for accountability and transparency.
ii. Micro monitoring of house sanction and completion using
latest PMAY-G Dashboard and other IT tools & technologies.
iii. Awaas+ 2024 app- a unique app specially designed under the
Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), having
features of assisted survey through pre-registered surveyors,
housing technology selection, face authentication, Aadhar
based e-KYC, data capture of household, conditions of existing
house, time stamped, and geo tagged photo capture of
existing house proposed site of construction. The app works in
online as well as offline mode. “Self-Survey” facility is
available for eligible household in Awaas+2024 app Survey for
next phase of PMAYG (2024-29).
iv. Usage of AI/ML model to curb fraudulent activity and provide
information of possible malpractices.
v. Recommendation System – This module identifies various
house attributes such as pucca wall, pucca roof, kutcha wall,
kutcha roof, logo, window, door, and person in the uploaded
photos of a completed house and recommends a final
photograph for approval.
vi. e-KYC App – The app is integrated with Aadhaar and uses AI-
enabled face authentication technology to conduct verification
of PMAY-G beneficiaries.
vii. Liveliness Detection: Eye Blink/ Motion detection feature in
Awaas App for identification of the beneficiaries.
viii. 100% Aadhaar-Based Payments: Directly transferred to
beneficiaries' accounts.
*****
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