In a move, which is seen as a beginning of delinking below poverty line (BPL) list with flagship schemes, Centre is mulling to allow 20 per cent of Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) benefits to go to non-BPL category.
The move is also afoot to raise allocation of financial support for an IAY unit from the current Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000, though the Planning Commission is said to be in favour of capping it in between Rs 65000-Rs 70,000. The Centre is apparently moving in the direction to restrict the BPL list only to food subsidy, which will gradually make Centrally sponsored flagship schemes universal in nature.
“A working group of the Planning Commission has recommended that a window be opened for the non-BPL category people to get benefits of the IAY scheme. To begin with it could be 20 per cent of the total beneficiaries, which could go to the non-BPL category,” said a senior official of the ministry of rural development.
However, the ministry and the Planning Commission are contemplating on modalities for such a window for the non-BPL category. There are various ways to do so like limiting the maximum loan amount that such an IAY beneficiary could seek from a bank up to Rs 2 lakh or so, added the official.
The move is being contemplated with a view to give a push to the rural housing and also for the facts that states like Gujarat and Punjab have exhausted their existing below poverty line lists under the IAY scheme. There is also a plan afoot to substantially hike the IAY allocation for each unit from the existing Rs 45,000 to Rs 75,000.