Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: A special verification drive is currently under way across Bihar to scrutinise applications under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Before the assembly elections in 2025, as many as 10.49 million people applied for housing benefits under the flagship scheme. The state government conducted a comprehensive survey and has now launched a strict verification process.
Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar, who is presently in Delhi, said the verification exercise is in progress and a fresh beneficiary list will be prepared for a five-year period. “A total of 10.49 million applications were received. After verification, those who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be removed from the list,” he said, adding that the Bihar government has issued detailed guidelines for the scheme.
The minister explained that applicants are being assessed against several parameters. “Photographs of the applicant’s existing place of residence are being uploaded, followed by images of the proposed construction site. Both the old and new locations are being thoroughly verified,” he said.
Shravan Kumar estimated that around six million families are likely to benefit under the scheme. “There are over 10.49 million claimants, but it is not possible to provide houses to all at once. The proposed list of six million beneficiaries will be spread over five years, during which the Centre will meet the target,” he said.
He also clarified that earlier beneficiary lists have been exhausted. “In 2018, we had sent a list of 3 million houses to the Centre. Of these, five lakh were found to be fake and there were shortcomings in several others. However, approvals were granted for all eligible beneficiaries in that list,” he said.
New List and Three-Tier Verification
Confirming that a new list is being prepared, the minister said that details of 10.49 million applicants have been uploaded on the Awas App and are currently under scrutiny. “We are carrying out a three-tier verification—at the panchayat, block and district levels—before the Centre issues fresh targets. Once the targets are announced, funds will be directly transferred to beneficiaries’ accounts,” he said.
Record Allocation for Bihar
Expressing confidence about central support, Shravan Kumar said Bihar has received the highest PMAY target for the financial year 2025–26. “Bihar has been allotted 1.21 million houses—more than any other state. Earlier too, the state received targets exceeding 1.1 million houses. All pre-election targets have been met and the backlog has now been cleared,” he said.
On whether the recent Assembly election victory would reflect in the Union Budget, the minister said it certainly would. “Providing homes to the homeless under PMAY will further strengthen public trust in us,” he said.
Eligibility Guidelines Issued
The Rural Development Department has issued detailed guidelines for beneficiary selection under PMAY, based on an 11-point criteria. Key conditions include:
- Applicants must belong to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG) or Middle Income Group (MIG).
- No family member should own a permanent house anywhere in India.
- The applicant should not be a beneficiary of any other government housing scheme.
- Ownership of the house should be in the name of a woman or jointly (widows to be given priority).
- Preference for SC/ST, OBC, minorities, persons with disabilities and transgender persons.
- Aadhaar and bank account linkage is mandatory.
- Income certificate, Aadhaar/Voter ID and address proof are required.
Under PMAY-Urban, income eligibility ranges from ₹3 lakh to ₹18 lakh, depending on category, for houses with basic amenities such as electricity, water, sewage and roads. Separate income and eligibility norms apply for rural areas, particularly for the homeless or those living in kutcha houses. Under PMAY-U 2.0, new urban families are eligible for financial assistance of up to ₹2.5 lakh. In rural areas, houses must have a minimum carpet area of 25 square metres, including a kitchen.
Joint Family Norms Relaxed
New guidelines have also been issued for joint families. If a married member of a joint family lives in a permanent house but does not have a separate room, they will be considered eligible for PMAY-Gramin benefits. Similarly, if three brothers live with their families in a two-room permanent house, one of them can be granted housing assistance under the scheme.
Verification Till January 15
The Rural Development Department had invited applications for PMAY in 2025, receiving over 10.4 million submissions. Surveys have been completed and verification is ongoing till January 15, though progress has been reported to be slow in several districts.
For the combined financial years 2024–25 and 2025–26, funds are to be released for 1.22 million families in Bihar. So far, housing construction has been completed for 253,000 families.
Last year, the Prime Minister stated at a rally in Purnea that more than 40 million permanent houses had been built nationwide over the past 11 years, with another 30 million under construction. The Centre has set a target of “housing for all” by 2030. In Bihar alone, a recent survey indicated that over 10 million families—nearly 50 million people—are still homeless.
Bihar’s first PMAY list was prepared in 2011 and expired in 2018. The second list, drawn up in 2018, has also been fully exhausted. Work on the third list began in 2025, with verification now under way for the 10.49 million applicants found to be without permanent housing.
Under PMAY, the Centre bears 60 per cent of the cost, while the state contributes 40 per cent. Rural beneficiaries receive ₹1.20 lakh in three instalments, while urban beneficiaries are eligible for assistance of up to ₹2.5 lakh.
According to the Rural Development Department, dedicated committees at the panchayat, block and district levels are overseeing the verification process, which is being continuously monitored. Work on allocation will begin once the Centre formally announces the targets.
About the Author
