BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to roll out rental housing for urban poor by converting vacant and unutilised government buildings into suitable dwelling units. The initiative will be launched under the Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) vertical of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Urban 2.0.
Additional chief secretary of Housing and Urban Development department Usha Padhee has requested the Home, Agriculture, Finance, Food Supplies, Panchayati Raj, Water Resources, ST&SC Development, Health and Cooperation departments and other key wings to identify such vacant, unutilised assets under their administrative control and share the details with the Odisha Urban Housing Mission.
Padhee has called for identification of both state and central government buildings and houses that can be converted into rental income generating assets under the scheme.
“Housing is a key component of urbanisation and has a direct impact on health, well-being, stability, education and economic opportunities of families. While earlier housing policies primarily promoted ownership models, PMAY-U 2.0 has introduced Affordable Rental Housing as a dedicated vertical to address the needs of a large segment of the urban population, particularly urban migrants, industrial and informal sector workers and working women, who require secure and affordable accommodation but may not be in a position to own a house immediately,” Padhee said.
The affordable rental housing projects under PMAY 2.0 will be implemented through two models - converting government-funded vacant buildings, houses into rental housing through public private partnership (PPP) mode and allowing private/public entities to construct, operate and maintain housing units for EWS/LIG families and recover investments through rental income over a long period, she said.
The unutilised assets will be converted into long-term rental income generating assets through required repair, restoration and retrofitting which will be funded under the ARH vertical of PMAY 2.0.
Officials said, the initial rent in such projects will be fixed by the local authority based on a survey. Rent enhancement will be allowed biennially by eight per cent subject to a maximum increase of 20 per cent in aggregate over a period of five years, ensuring affordability and transparency.
“The initiative will help transform unutilised public assets into long-term rental income generating housing units, while simultaneously supporting urban workforce stability, strengthening local economies and preventing the growth of informal settlements,” Padhee said.