Lok Sabha Question No. 1198 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-03
Subject: Awas Sakhi Mobile App
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Arun Bharti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1198 ANSWERED ON 03/12/2024

## AWAS SAKHI MOBILE APP

1198. SHRI ARUN BHARTI:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENTbe pleased to state:

- (a) the details of steps taken to implement the AwasSakhi Mobile App  under  the  Pradhan  MantriAwasYojana  (PMAY)  and  to streamline housing benefits for rural citizens;
- (b) the  key  objectives  behind  the  nationwide  survey  of  kuccha houses initiated by the Ministry and the provisions in place to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are included in the pucca housing list;
- (c) the  extent  to  the  allocation  of  100  crore  rupees  to  the "LakhpatiDidi" initiative aims to increase rural women's income levels and empower them economically; and
- (d) the  anticipated  benefits  of  the  newly  inaugurated  Community Managed  Training  Centres  (CMTCs)  and  the  Gram  Sadak Survey & Planning Tool for enhancing skills, connectivity, and
- rural infrastructure in Bihar?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI)

- (a)            The  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  is  implementing  the Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f. 1st April, 2016 to  construct  2.95  crore  houses  by  providing  assistance  to  eligible rural households with basic amenities. The Union Cabinet approved 2 crore  additional rural houses under PMAY-G to be constructed in the  next  five  years  from  FY  2024-25  to  FY  2028-29  to  meet  the additional  housing  requirements  due  to  increase  in  the  number  of families in rural areas across the country.

The  Awaas SAKHI (Support  Application  for  Knowledge,  Help and  Innovation)  is  an  innovative  mobile  application  developed  to enhance  access  to  PMAY-G  by  bringing  essential  information  and resources in one place. Through the application, beneficiaries can gain awareness about the scheme, obtain answers to their queries and determine their eligibility for the scheme, equipping them with knowledge to make informed decisions. Further, Awaas Sakhi paves the  way  towards  active  involvement  of  beneficiaries  and  their community in the house construction process by making available house  design  typologies,  locally  available  BIS  certified  materials and trained rural masons. Awaas Sakhi, in the essence of its name, aims to provide Help, enable access to Knowledge and promote Innovation in  PMAY-G.  The  application  makes  essential information and tools available at the fingertips of the beneficiaries enabling  them  to  take  full  advantage  of  the  scheme  and  achieve their dream of owning a secure and resilient house.

- (b)         To  ensure  that  assistance  is  targeted  to  those  who  are genuinely deprived, and that the selection is objective and verifiable,  the  beneficiaries  under  PMAY-G  were  initially  identified using housing deprivation parameters given in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011 data. The Government  then conducted  an  Awaas+  survey  from January  2018 to March  2019 to identify those beneficiaries who claimed to have been left out under the  2011 SECC and  thus  prepared  an  additional  list  of  potential beneficiaries.  As  on  date,  the  SECC  list  has  been  saturated  and approximately  1.08  crore  eligible  beneficiaries   are  remaining  in Awaas+ 2018 list.

To  achieve  the  additional  target  of  2 crore houses,  Awaas+ survey 2024 app aims to simplify the identification and inclusion of additional  deprived  households  for  housing  assistance.  Its  key features ensure accurate data collection, with a focus on transparency and ease of use for both citizens and officials. Further, as a new  intervention to move  towards  better  transparency, surveyor mapping to every GP has been undertaken for conducting Awaas+ Survey 2024.

The key provisions of which are:

1. Self-Survey - Allows citizens to perform Aadhaar-based eKYC and  complete  a  self-survey.  Only  one  Self-survey  per  mobile phone is permitted.

2. Assisted  Survey  through  pre-registered  surveyors  -  Surveys can be conducted by pre-registered surveyors, assisting those who  may  need  help.  These  surveyors  are  identified  and mapped to the Gram Panchayat by Block Development Office.
3. Housing Typology SelectionFacilitates the selection of appropriate housing design typology for each household surveyed.
4. Face Authentication and Aadhaar based eKYCSecure identification  through  Aadhaar  and  face  authentication  is mandatory for surveyors and for each household surveyed.
5. Data capture of Household, family members and condition of existing  house-  The  App  enables  collection  of  information about the household, family members, and the condition of the existing house, ensuring selection and prioritization of beneficiaries as pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.
6. Time stamped and geo-tagged photo capture of existing house and  proposed  site  of  construction.  -  Captures  time-stamped and geo-tagged photos of the existing house and the proposed construction  site during the survey  which  is then cross validated with AI/ML based models for authenticity and liveliness.
7. Works in online and offline mode both - This feature ensures the  app  works  seamlessly  even  in  areas  with  poor  internet connectivity, making it accessible in remote regions.

## Main objectives of Awaas+ survey 2024:

- 1.Identification of Housing Deprivation: To accurately identify households living in kuccha or dilapidated houses that require pucca housing.
- 2.Inclusion  of  Left-out  beneficiaries:  To  ensure  that  eligible rural  families  who  were  previously  excluded  from  the  2011 Socio-Economic  and  Caste  Census  (SECC)  and  could  not  be included  under  the  Awaas+  survey  2018  are  now  included  in the beneficiary list based on the revised exclusion criteria as approved by the Union Cabinet.

- 3.Transparency and Fair Allocation: Minimize errors, exclusion, or favoritism in identifying housing beneficiaries by conducting the  survey  based  on  field  realities  and  through  dedicated surveyors in each GP.
4. Housing for All: Align with the overarching goal of "Housing for  All  by  2024,"  ensuring  all  rural  families  have  a  safe  and durable home.
- (c) "LakhpatiDidi" initiative is an outcome of DeendayalAntyodaya  National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY  NRLM). The Ministry has adopted a structured approach to enhance the income of SHG members to make them lakhpatididis, i.e., they earn a minimum income of Rs one lakh per annum.

Amount  of  Rs.  100  crore   has  not  been  allocated  for  the initiative. However, to facilitate SHG members to become LakhpatiDidis,  potential  LakhpatiDidis  have  been  identified.  They are  being  supported  by  the  Community  Resource  Persons  (CRPs), promoted under DAY-NRLM,  in preparing livelihood business plans and  establishing  linkages  for  assets,  skills,  finance,  technology, market etc.

Capitalization  support  in  the  form  of  Revolving  Fund  (RF), Community  Investment  Funds  (CIF)  and  Bank  linkage  along  with convergence with schemes of other Ministries has been ensured for their livelihood augmentation.

- (d)          The DAY- NRLM focuses on continuous capacity building of the  SHG members, and SRLM officials. Resources are deployed to provide  timely  and  relevant  training  and  exposure.  Setting  up  of Community Managed Training Centers (CMTCs) managed by Model CLFs  in  the  States  and  UTs  is  an  endeavor  in  this  regard. The CMTCs provides safe, accessible, and near to home, residential and basic  office  infrastructure  facility  for  dedicated  and  uninterrupted ambiance for training and exposure. CMTCs facilitate improvement in the effectiveness of the training and exposures.

The  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  SadakYojana-IV  (PMGSY-IV)  has eligible been launched to provide connectivity to 25,000 unconnected habitations in the country.

For the survey and planning of PMGSY-IV in a systematic, userfriendly & scientific way, MoRD has recently launched a mobile app namely  PMGSY  Gram  Sadak  Survey  App  for  digital  mapping  of unconnected habitations for PMGSY-IV.

PMGSY-IV road alignment planning will be undertaken through the  PM  Gati  Shakti  portal.  PM  Gati  Shakti  portal  with  a  wider database is available for detailed analysis of data received from the survey  and  will  facilitate  developing  the  preliminary  DPR.  These platforms and Apps will be used for revision of DRRP, finalization of alignment and preparation of preliminary DPR. The planning tool on PM Gati Shakti portal will also assist in DPR preparation. The Gram Sadak  Survey  App  is  equipped  with  a  range  of  advanced  features designed  to  facilitate  comprehensive  and  accurate  mapping  and verification of rural habitations.

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