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Section 7 INFRASTRUCTURE
Housing

5.208 Kerala believes in ‘housing for all’ by providing standardized housing services to Economically
Weaker Sections(EWS), Low Income Group(LIG) and Middle Income Group ( MIG) categories
by co-ordinating such activities to ensure high living standard, healthy environment and basic
infrastructure development. Housing activity is the second largest economic activity sector of Kerala
and investment in housing has multiplier effect on the economic growth of the country.

5.209 The State Govt is providing support through its various programmes to fill the gap between
demand and supply of houses by implementing schemes for affordable housing. ‘Mission 676’ also
targets this by ensuring the completion of EMS housing scheme and a comprehensive housing
scheme for the Scheduled Tribe in the state. The assistance for housing renovation for 1000 families
was announced by ST Development Department. 10000 houses in 100 days period and one lakh
houses in 676 days will be completed under Indira Awas Yojana.

5.210 Total Housing Mission is formed as the initiative of State Planning Board for the Weaker,
Marginalized and Vulnerable Sections with the aim of resolving the issues of demand and distribution
in the field of housing. It aims effective co-ordination between various housing agencies so that the
beneficiaries can identify the right scheme, channelizing institutional finance from various sources
to establish an alternate mode of operation of programmes on a large scale and to examine the
possibilities of channelizing housing funds including loan, grant etc through nationalized banks.

Achievements during the year

• A new housing scheme-‘Affordable Housing Scheme’- was initiated
• ‘Housing Financial Development Corporation’ in public sector was created
• The financial assistance for housing construction to homeless, poor, SC families was enhanced

from ` 1 lakh to ` 2 lakh..
• A new scheme named ‘ Ayyankali’ Housing Scheme was implemented to repair the houses of

poor SC families by giving ` 50000/- each.
• Scheme for housing renovation for fishermen @ ` 50000 per house.

Box 5.15
Central Housing Policy

Central Govt aims to manage the acceleration of urbanization and to meet their housing needs
especially of Low Income Group (LIG)s through a set of policies to bridge the gap between
price and affordability. This will enable the sustainability, economic viability and affordable
housing model for both govt housing agencies as well as private developers by encouraging
rental housing for the poorest of the poor.

The present Government envisages housing for all by 2022 and implement affordable housing
schemes through JNNURM, Rajiv Awas Yojana etc. India needs 20 Million low cost houses in
urban area and 45 million in rural area.

Economic Review 2014