Govt seeks Rs1,600 cr from Centre for rural housing

Patna: State govt has asked the Centre to release Rs1,600 crore as a “Mother Sanction” under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G), citing that the state’s Single Nodal Account (SNA) balance has been exhausted and fresh funds are needed to keep rural housing construction on track.Rural development minister Shrawan Kumar said the request has been sent to the Union ministry of rural development to unlock central assistance in one bulk approval so that instalments can continue to be paid to verified beneficiaries.According to the minister, Bihar has already spent Rs55,66,080 lakh on PMAY-G works so far. He added that an additional Rs 4,27,528 lakh is still required to complete the remaining houses under the scheme. With the SNA depleted, the state said it was unable to process further payments at the required pace, making the “Mother Sanction” crucial for uninterrupted implementation.A “Mother Sanction” is the Union ministry’s overarching financial and administrative approval that authorises the release of a large lump-sum amount to a state’s SNA, rather than sending fund to individual beneficiary. Once the “Mother Sanction” is issued, state and local authorities can break the sanctioned amount into instalments and transfer them directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through Aadhaar-linked and verified payment systems. This mechanism is designed to speed up fund flow, reduce delays, and ensure payments are made only to eligible recipients, an official said.The minister also highlighted progress in Bihar’s rural housing drive, calling it a major achievement in providing permanent homes to homeless families. He said the state is close to meeting its PMAY-G target. From FY 2016-17 to date, housing approvals have been granted to 49,09,797 beneficiaries against a target of 49,18,758 houses. Of these, 41,12,565 beneficiaries have completed construction, indicating substantial completion while underscoring the need for timely funding to finish the remaining units.