The government will have to spend nearly Rs 81,975 crore over construction of the one crore houses in the first three years of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin under which it will provide financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh to those living in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh to those in "hilly and difficult" areas.

Terming it a "very important decision", Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there could be an anticipated variation of 10% in the total number of houses to be constructed.

The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout the country except Delhi and Chandigarh. The cost of houses would be shared between the Centre and the states.

"An amount of Rs 81,975 crore will be needed to construct one crore houses between 2016-17 and 2018-19 out of which Rs 68,000 crore will be provided by budgetary provisions," Prasad told reportes after the Cabinet meeting.

He said the rest Rs 21,975 crore will come from borrowing through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to be amortised through budgetary allocations after 2022.

The Union Cabinet had in June last year approved the launch of the 'Housing for All by 2022' programme for the rehabilitation of slum-dwellers and promotion of affordable housing for the urban poor, targeting to provide nearly 20 million houses over seven years.

Details of implementing the Scheme

• Providing financial assistance for construction of 1 crore pucca houses to all houseless and households living in dilapidated houses in rural areas from 2016-17 to 2018-19
• The scheme would be implemented in rural areas throughout India except Delhi and Chandigarh.
• The cost of houses would be shared between Centre and States in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90:10 for North Eastern and hilly states.
• Enhancing the unit assistance to 120000 rupees in plain areas and to 130000 rupees in hilly states/difficult areas /IAP districts
• Using Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 data for identification of beneficiaries.
• Setting up of National Technical Support Agency at national level to provide technical support in achieving the target set under the project.
• The beneficiary is entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA. This will be ensured through a server linkage between PMAY and MGNREGA.
• Funds will be transferred electronically directly to the account of the beneficiary.
• The beneficiary would be facilitated to avail loan of up to 70000 rupees for construction of the house which is optional.
• The unit size will be enhanced from the existing 20 square meter to up to 25 square meter including a dedicated area for hygienic cooking.