HOUSING
SCHEME FOR URBAN POORS – GOVERNMENT SCHME 
News:
PM Modi announces new
scheme to help urban poor build houses
What's
in the news?
●       Recently,
Prime Minister in his address on 77th Independence Day, unveiled a new scheme
aimed at alleviating the housing crisis faced by the urban poor.
Key
takeaways:
●       The
new scheme complements the Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojana Urban (PMAY-U), a flagship government initiative
launched in 2015.
Housing
Scheme for Urban Poors:
●       Aimed
at assisting the urban poor in building houses in cities.
●       Relief in interest rates and loans
from banks for house construction.
●       Targeting
those living in rented houses, slums, chawls, and unauthorized colonies.
●       Middle-class
families also benefit from the scheme.
●       Government’s
support to help save lakhs of rupees for the beneficiaries.
Beneficiaries:
●       Female members
of beneficiary families are preferred as the head of the household.
●       Widows,
transgenders, and differently-abled individuals receive special attention.
●       Focuses
on empowering women through property ownership.
●       Beneficiary
selection involves thorough surveys and verification.
Significance:
1.
Demand-driven Approach:
●       Conducts
surveys to assess housing demand at the city and state levels.
●       Beneficiary
demand shapes the scale and scope of housing projects.
●       Helps
avoid underutilization of resources and mismatched housing supply.
2.
Geotagging:
●       Geotagging
involves adding geographical coordinates to identify the location.
●       Houses
are geotagged using the Bhuvan platform developed by ISRO.
●       Enhances
transparency by enabling beneficiaries to verify house locations.
3.
Women Empowerment:
●       Provides
recognition and ownership rights to women in property matters.
●       Helps
in bridging the gender gap in property ownership.
●       Promotes
women’s financial security and decision-making power.