Maarg Manthan · Topic 1.3

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G)

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Rural Development Schemes · Topic 1.3

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) is the rural housing scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, launched on 20 November 2016 by restructuring the Indira Awaas Yojana of 1985. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that gives financial help to rural families without a pucca house to build a house of at least 25 sq m with a hygienic cooking space. The unit help is Rs 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly and difficult areas. In 2024 the Cabinet approved 2 crore more houses for 2024-25 to 2028-29.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Rural Development Schemes

At a Glance

Launch 20 November 2016
Replaced Indira Awaas Yojana (1985)
Ministry Rural Development
Unit help Rs 1.20 lakh (plains), Rs 1.30 lakh (hills and difficult areas)
Latest target 2 crore more houses, 2024-25 to 2028-29
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Rural Development Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This is the third topic of the macro on rural development. Housing is a core basic need, and this scheme is often paired with toilets, power and water connections. Its urban twin is covered in Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), and the combined view in Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban and Gramin). Previous topic: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Next topic: Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

What Are the Key Features of PMAY-G?

Feature	Detail
Launch	Launched in November 2016 as the successor of the Indira Awaas Yojana, with the aim of Housing for All by 2022. The deadline was later extended
Type	Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development
House size	Minimum 25 sq m with a dedicated space for hygienic cooking. The earlier minimum under the older scheme was smaller
Unit assistance	Rs 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly states, difficult areas and Integrated Action Plan districts
Funding	Cost is shared between the Centre and states in 60:40 for plain areas and 90:10 for the north-eastern and Himalayan states and Union Territories
Convergence	Up to 90 or 95 person days of unskilled labour under the rural job guarantee, and support for a toilet under the rural sanitation mission
Payment	Money goes by direct benefit transfer to the bank account of the beneficiary in stages linked to geotagged photographs
Selection	Based on the deprivation criteria of the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011, verified by the Gram Sabha

How Are Beneficiaries Chosen and Houses Monitored?

Priority list: families are listed using the deprivation parameters of the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 and then ranked by priority, with houseless families and those living in one or two kutcha rooms first
Gram Sabha role: the draft list is verified and approved by the Gram Sabha before sanction
Awaas Soft: an online system for registering beneficiaries, sanction, payment and tracking of progress
Awaas App: a mobile tool used to take geotagged photographs of the house at each stage
Social inclusion: priority for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, widows, persons with disability and families of war casualties
Rural mason training: a programme to train masons in local building methods so that quality and local skills improve
Own construction: beneficiaries build their own houses, which keeps design local and reduces middlemen
Social audit: the scheme is audited by Gram Sabhas under the programme guidelines

What Else Should You Remember?

Predecessor: The Indira Awaas Yojana began in 1985-86 as part of the Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme and became an independent scheme in 1996
Reason for change: The older scheme had problems of poor quality, small houses and weak targeting, which led to the new design with a bigger house and better selection
Housing for All: The aim was to give a pucca house to all houseless and those in kutcha houses by 2022. As reported, the Centre later extended the scheme beyond 2022 and then approved a fresh round for 2024-29
2024 approval: In August 2024 the Cabinet approved two crore additional houses in rural areas for 2024-25 to 2028-29 with a central outlay of about Rs 3.06 lakh crore, as reported. The total target is then about 4.95 crore houses
Progress: As reported in December 2025, about 3.86 crore houses were sanctioned and about 2.92 crore were completed. The figures change often, so state them with dates
Awaas Plus 2024: A survey with the Awaas Plus app was used to find eligible families left out of the earlier list
Wider assets: A house is often linked with a toilet, LPG connection, electricity and a tap connection, which is the convergence idea
Women ownership: Houses are sanctioned in the name of the woman or jointly, which supports women ownership of assets
Challenges: Delays in stage payments, high costs of material compared with the unit help, land issues for landless families and quality gaps
Linked mission: Houses built by the poor feed into the livelihood work in Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Launch and predecessor: 2016 and the Indira Awaas Yojana
Numbers: 25 sq m, Rs 1.20 lakh and Rs 1.30 lakh, 60:40 and 90:10
Selection: SECC 2011 based list and Gram Sabha approval
Technology: Awaas Soft, Awaas App and geotagging
Current affairs: 2 crore more houses for 2024-29 and the cumulative target

As an analytical point, housing aid works best when the money is in step with real material costs. A fixed unit help that lags inflation pushes families into debt. Regular revision of the amount and timely payment would make the house better and the scheme more credible.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Basic need Housing for the rural poor
Targeting SECC based selection
Current affairs Fresh 2024-29 round

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the national mission that organises rural women into self-help groups. Next topic: Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Key People and Terms

Pucca house House with durable walls and roof
SECC Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011
Awaas Soft Online management system
Geotagging Photo proof of progress
Unit assistance Per house financial help
IAY Indira Awaas Yojana, the older scheme

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Launched on 20 November 2016; replaced IAY.
House size: at least 25 sq m.
Help: Rs 1.20 lakh plains; Rs 1.30 lakh hills.
Share: 60:40 and 90:10.
New round: 2 crore houses, 2024-29.

Do Not Confuse With

PMAY-G and PMAY-U Rural housing under the Rural Development Ministry versus urban housing under the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry
PMAY-G and Indira Awaas Yojana The new scheme replaced the older one in 2016
SECC list and BPL list The new list uses deprivation parameters and not an income poverty line

Memory Hook

Census list, Gram Sabha nod, geotag the stage, money to the account.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the outcomes of the rural housing mission and its limits. These points give a balanced frame.

Benefits Better health, safety, women ownership and asset building
Limits Fixed unit cost, delays and land issues
Reforms Cost indexing, land for landless, convergence

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Evaluate the effectiveness of PMAY-G in providing housing to the rural poor and suggest steps to improve the delivery of the scheme.”

How to Answer

Intro Scheme of 2016 and the target.
Strengths Selection, tech tracking, women ownership.
Gaps Cost, delays and land.
Way Index the unit cost and speed up payment.

GS Relevance

Prelims: features, unit assistance, beneficiary selection, nodal ministry. GS Paper 2: welfare schemes, poverty and housing. GS Paper 3: inclusive growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PMAY-G?

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, launched on 20 November 2016. It gives financial help to rural families without a pucca house to build a house of at least 25 sq m, replacing the older Indira Awaas Yojana.

How much help does PMAY-G give for a house?

PMAY-G gives Rs 1.20 lakh per house in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly states, difficult areas and Integrated Action Plan districts. Beneficiaries also get support for a toilet and up to 90 or 95 days of unskilled wages under the rural employment guarantee.

How are PMAY-G beneficiaries selected?

Beneficiaries are picked from the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 using deprivation parameters, and the list is verified by the Gram Sabha. Families that are houseless or live in one or two kutcha rooms get priority, along with Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other vulnerable groups.

What is the funding pattern of PMAY-G?

The cost of PMAY-G is shared between the Centre and states in the ratio 60:40 for plain areas and 90:10 for the north-eastern states, Himalayan states and Union Territories. The money is sent by direct benefit transfer to the beneficiary account in stages linked to geotagged photographs.

What is the latest target under PMAY-G?

In August 2024 the Union Cabinet approved two crore additional rural houses for 2024-25 to 2028-29, as reported with an outlay of about Rs 3.06 lakh crore. Together with the earlier target the cumulative goal is about 4.95 crore houses, and progress is updated regularly.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 PMAY-G replaced the Indira Awaas Yojana.

True

The change took place in 2016.

2 PMAY-G beneficiaries are chosen on the basis of the BPL list of 2002.

False

They are chosen from SECC 2011 deprivation parameters.

3 The minimum size of a PMAY-G house is 25 sq m.