Representative imageAfter four years since its inception in July 2020, the Centre’s Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) initiative has converted less than seven percent of the over 83,000 government-constructed flats into low-rent housing for the urban poor, as revealed by findings from ThePrint.
Introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, which triggered a mass exodus of migrant workers from urban areas, the scheme aimed to address housing challenges by offering affordable rental options to the urban poor. Originally, 83,534 flats nationwide, constructed under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) and Rajiv Awas Yojana, were earmarked for conversion.
Under the ARHC framework, these flats were to be turned into rental accommodations for the urban poor, with management and maintenance responsibilities outsourced to private concessionaires for a 25-year period. However, recent data from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs portal reveals that only 5,648 flats across five states and Union territories have been successfully converted into rental housing options for the urban poor.
Despite Maharashtra (32,245) and Delhi (29,112) housing the majority of the flats, senior ministry officials confirmed to the news outlet that no projects have been initiated in these regions as of now.
Over the past four years, a total of 13,061 flats earmarked for conversion into rental housing have been identified across 13 states and Union territories. Among these, 5,648 units have been successfully transformed into rental accommodations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Jammu & Kashmir, as per data sourced from the ministry.
Government agencies in five states and UTs are currently converting another 7,413 housing units into rental accommodation, according to ministry records.
However, authorities in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have pointed out various challenges impacting the implementation of the AHRC scheme. Issues such as the location and condition of these flats, many of which were constructed long ago, alongside a lackluster response from private concessionaires, have contributed to the scheme’s subdued uptake.
Addressing housing for the urban poor has been a key commitment of the Modi government. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), launched in June 2015, includes an In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) component aimed at providing affordable housing to those residing in slum clusters. However, housing and urban development experts note that not many poor people have benefitted from it.
According to data reviewed by ThePrint, 2.96 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the ISSR component of PMAY-U, out of which 1.56 lakh have been completed as of March 11. The scheme will end in December this year.