The Union Rural Development Ministry has introduced a “self-survey” option for beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for the first time since the flagship rural housing scheme began in 2016. This move comes as part of the second phase of PMAY-G, which aims to construct 2 crore houses. As part of this effort, the Ministry has recently completed the training of 2.6 lakh surveyors.

The self-survey initiative aims to ensure inclusivity and fairness. “This approach minimizes the risk of households being excluded due to surveyor bias or prejudice,” a Ministry official explained. The Awaas+ mobile application is being utilized for data collection, although it is restricted to prevent multiple beneficiaries from using the same device for their surveys.

In August, the Union Cabinet approved a budget of ₹3,06,137 crore for the second phase of PMAY-G. The scheme initially aimed to build 2.95 crore houses, with the original list of beneficiaries derived from the 2011 Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC). A subsequent survey in 2018 addressed gaps, but over the years, the SECC-based permanent waiting list has been nearly exhausted. According to a Ministry source, more than 20 states have completed their allocations from both the original and 2018 lists. State governments are expected to finalize the current survey by November 30.

A major factor contributing to the program’s success is the fixed nature of the beneficiary list. “Once the list is finalized, it is locked, protecting it from political or electoral influences,” said an official. Of the 2.95 crore targeted houses, 2.67 crore have been built, with Chhattisgarh identified as the only state yet to complete the construction for its SECC 2011 beneficiaries.

The criteria for the second phase have been adjusted, allowing households with amenities like two-wheelers, refrigerators, landline phones, or mechanized fishing boats to qualify. The government continues to provide ₹1.20 lakh per house, a figure unchanged since 2016. The Ministry emphasizes that this amount is meant to assist beneficiaries, not serve as a full subsidy. Notably, out of the 2.67 crore completed houses, 1.5 crore have been allocated to households belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

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