‘Centre aids J&K in building resilient rural housing’

New Delhi, Dec 16: The Government of India has said that beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) in Jammu and Kashmir are being provided technical assistance to ensure quality, durability and disaster-resilient housing.
The Ministry of Rural Development informed the Lok Sabha that PMAY-G guidelines mandate sensitisation of selected beneficiaries in J&K on various aspects of housing construction, including approved house designs, stage-wise instalments, use of local and BIS-certified materials, disaster-resilient features, sanitation, water storage and green housing technologies .
The ministry also said that technical support is also extended through a bouquet of region-specific house design typologies compiled under ‘PAHAL’, which promotes locally suitable designs, climate-appropriate technologies and reduced environmental impact. “States and Union Territories, including J&K, have been advised to encourage beneficiaries to procure ISI-marked construction material for ensuring quality construction.”
The Union Ministry further said that to strengthen local technical capacity, the Rural Mason Training (RMT) programme has been implemented under PMAY-G.
As per official data, 2,933 candidates have been enrolled under the programme in Jammu and Kashmir since its inception, out of which 2,494 rural masons have been certified, helping improve the quality and timeliness of housing construction in the Union Territory.
The Ministry also clarified that the houses under PMAY-G are constructed by beneficiaries themselves or under their supervision, the J&K administration may facilitate access to construction materials at competitive rates and assist beneficiaries in identifying trained masons through Gram Panchayats and Self-Help Groups. (KNO)