Skip to main content

India's poor "left" in the lurch in Central government's new urban thrust, as experts allege middle class policy bias

By Our Representative
The recent Government of India decision to make its credit-linked subsidy scheme for urban housing more attractive for the middle income groups by offering them a higher carpet area than what hitherto was the case has come under sharp criticism of the country's top urban experts, who say, it would dilute the "core pro-poor character" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much publicised urban housing thrust.
Called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), launched in June 2015 and revised periodically, it was designed to provide interest subsidy for houses offered to different income groups. The scheme was first launched for what are called Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Groups (LIG), but was extended to Middle Income Groups (MIG) on December 31, 2016, post-demonetization.
Finding that things were srill not becoming viable for the private players, who were contracted under public-private partnership mode, MIG housing was further categorized into two -- MIG-I and MIG-II -- for households with annual income between Rs. 6-12 lakh and Rs. 12-18 lakh, respectively. The upper limit of the subsidized loan amount under MIG-I was fixed at Rs 9 lakh with 4% interest subvention, the corresponding figures for MIG-II being Rs. 12 lakh and 3%.
As for the EWS households, with an annual income up to Rs 3 lakh, and LIG households with an annual income between Rs 3 and 6 lakh), they would be getting interest subsidy of 6.5% for loan amounts up to Rs 6 lakh for the maximum period of 20 years, and loans above the stipulated amount would not be subsidized.
To make the scheme further "attractive", again for MIG, last month, in a surprise move, the Cabinet announced increase in the carpet area for the MIG-I category from 90 square metres (sq m) to up to 120 sq m and for the MIG-II category from 110 sq m to 150 sq m.
Attached with the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, Amitabh Kundu and Arjun Kumar have said, in an effort to woo MIG, Modi government appears to have forgotten what the Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage, 2012–17 (TG-12) had noted -- that the households from EWS and LIG account for 56.18 per cent and 39.44 per cent, respectively, of the total estimated urban housing shortage of 18.8 million.
"Households with monthly income up to Rs. 5,000 are placed in EWS while those with income between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 constitute the LIG", the scholars said, adding, "EMI amount more than around Rs 1,500 at current prices is not affordable for poor, if the expenditure pattern as given in the National Sample Survey is taken into consideration."
"A loan amount of Rs 3-6 lakh at the subsidized interest rate sanctioned for a period of 15 years would mean an EMI between Rs. 3,000 - 5,000 per month. Thus, repayment of the loan amount with interest, amounting to more than 50% of their earnings, would be a major issue for the poor", they add. experts said.
With MIG apparently becoming a major target of the Modi government, the experts say, "The chances of the targeted intended beneficiaries being missed (both exclusions of intended beneficiaries and inclusion of non-intended beneficiaries) have thus gone up enormously."
This year, said the experts, the budget esallocation for interest subsidy under PMAY-U, at Rs 5,075 crore in 2016-17, has been increased to Rs 6,043 crore in 2017-18, but of this Rs 1,000 crore is proposed for MIG, adding, recent changes seeking to open of a window for middle income housing have "come up due to the lukewarm response of the poor and LIG and low off-take of loans."
While new measures "will spur the house construction activities, attracting private and foreign investments", may have a "multiplier effect on GDP and labour market and benefit the real estate and builder’s lobby and the middle class", the experts complain, "There is a serious risk that the middle-class will corner much of the subsidies offered, with the poor being pushed out, primarily due to the latter’s lack of repayment capacity and failing to meet the documentation and other formal requirements."

Comments

TRENDING

Junk food push causing severe public health crisis of obesity, diabetes in India: Report

By Rajiv Shah  A new report , “The Junk Push: Rising Consumption of Ultra-processed foods in India- Policy, Politics and Reality”, public health experts, consumers groups, lawyers, youth and patient groups, has called upon the Government of India to check the soaring consumption of High Fat Sugar or Salt (HFSS) foods or ultra-processed foods (UPF), popularly called junk food.

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Astonishing? Violating its own policy, Barclays 'refinanced' Adani Group's $8 billion bonds

By Rajiv Shah  A new report released by two global NGOs, BankTrack and the Toxic Bonds Network, has claimed to have come up with “a disquieting truth”: that Barclays, a financial heavyweight with a “controversial” track record, is deeply entrenched in a “disturbing” alliance with “the Indian conglomerate and coal miner Adani Group.”

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Victim of 'hazardous' jobs, Delhi sanitary workers get two thirds of minimum wages

By Sanjeev Kumar*  Recently, the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) organized a Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop for sewer workers and waste pickers from all across Delhi NCR. The workshop focused on bringing sanitation workers from different parts of Delhi to train them for organization building and to discuss their issues of minimum wage, contractual labour, regular jobs and social security.