Govt launches Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas Portal

News:Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs has launched Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas Portal(CLAP) for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

Facts:

• The portal was launched along with the signing of agreements between the Union Housing Affairs Ministry and state governments for the construction of LightHouse projects under GHTC-India.

About the Portal:

• The portal provides a transparent and robust real-time web-based monitoring system for credit-linked Subsidy Services(CLSS) beneficiaries. 
• Using the portal,a beneficiary can track his application status in real-time.
• The credit-linked Subsidy Services(CLSS) is one of the components of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban(PMAY-U).

About Global Housing Technology Challenge(GHTC-India):

• Global Housing Technology Challenge-India was launched in January 2019. 
• It aims to transform the ecosystem of housing construction sector in the country through lighthouse projects built using advanced proven technologies. 
• It will foster the development of domestic technological research and building platforms for knowledge sharing and networking across the sector.
• The challenge is an initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban(PMAY-U).

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(Urban):

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) – Housing for All Mission was launched on 25th June 2015.
• The objective of the Mission is to provide Central assistance to implementing agencies through States/Union Territories (UTs) for providing houses to all eligible families/beneficiaries by 2022.

Components of the scheme:

• Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource
• Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy scheme(CLSS)
• Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sector
• Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction/enhancement.

Features of the scheme:

• The scheme is being implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the component of credit linked subsidy which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.
• Through the Credit linked subsidy,the Government of India aims at increasing the credit flow in institutions to meet the housing needs of the urban poor population in our country.
• Credit Linked Subsidy will be implemented by two central nodal agencies in India, namely Housing Urban Development Corp and National Housing Bank.

Additional information:

About National Housing Bank(NHB) 

• NHB was set up in 1988 under the National Housing Bank Act,1987.It is an apex financial institution for housing.
• Its objective is to operate as a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support incidental to such institutions and for matters connected therewith.
• Recently,RBI had divested its stake in National Housing Bank(NHB) and National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (Nabard) by making them fully government-owned.

About Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO)

• It is the premier techno-financing public sector enterprise, in the field of housing and infrastructure development in our country.
• The corporation is headquartered in the national capital, New Delhi and operates through a strong and multi-disciplinary work force placed over its nationwide network of regional and development offices.