MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council staff is apparently overburdened with people rushing for documents proving that they have a house in Margao in order to apply for the housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which apparently has been misrepresented to them.

The people, particularly migrant community, has reportedly been told that under the scheme the prime minister will give them land to construct their own houses and that is why there is a beeline for property documents like income certificate, land record, property tax, etc.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana slum redevelopment is offered for those living in slums on central government or state government or local body land where they will be offered accommodation in tenable structures or given a grant of Rs 1 lakh or a house by the central government.

Besides there are three types of credit linked subsidy schemes offered under the scheme where a loan of up to Rs 6 will be offered at an interest of 8.5 per cent to those whole annual income is less than Rs 6 lakh.

The economically weaker and vulnerable sections will be considered for the Affordable Housing in Partnership scheme which is for those whose annual income is less than Rs. 3 lakh per annum and lastly for those below the low income group, the government will provide Rs 1 lakh provided the applicant has a plot and willing to construct a new house.

Councilors are aghast with the wrong information given to the people who not realising the various conditions to avail this scheme presume that they will also get the subsidy amount depending upon the income and hence are making a bee line to apply for this scheme.

“If the people do not get the amount, which many will not be eligible for, as the municipality does not have any slums on its land, the people are going to curse us the councillors and attack us and we shall have a tough time at the next elections,” opined MMC Deputy Chairperson Tito Cardoso.

Incidentally, all the slums in Margao, whether at Khareband, or near Cine Lata or near Hospicio are all on private land and hence residents of those slums will be able to avail of this scheme only if they have land elsewhere where they construct their own house.