Maharashtra to cap houses allotted under government schemes to one per family

The state cabinet on Monday cleared a proposal to create a policy that will render a person ineligible for a house through a government scheme if he or his immediate family has been allotted a house through scheme anywhere in Maharashtra.

Currently, there are restrictions on availing a house through a government scheme in the same district. Therefore, an individual, who for instance already has a house in Pune or Thane, can apply for another house in Mumbai under a government scheme. Once the eligibility criteria is tightened, an applicant who has been allotted a house under any government scheme, whether Central or state, he or his spouse or dependents will not be able to apply for any subsequent housing projects of the government in the state. The policy will curb people from reaping benefits of affordable housing schemes more than once, state housing department officials said. “We are tightening the eligibility criteria. All agencies that provide affordable houses including the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (Mhada), City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), and the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), will make amendments in their processes. We will link Unique ID number of Aadhar and seek affidavits from applicants stating that neither they nor their immediate family members have got houses through government subsidy,” said a senior housing department official.