A house is regarded as a basic need of every person to live a distinguished life. However, in India, poor workers face many financial difficulties to construct a house for themselves. After viewing this critical area, the Central Government in the late 80s launched a housing subsidy Scheme for workers.

This Scheme acts as an important component of the welfare Scheme. It is for the four cess funds (Beedi, IOMC, LSDM & Mica workers) which were set up by the Central Government legislation.

Initially, in 1989, the Scheme was started for the Non-coal mine/Beedi workers with a central subsidy of Rs. 1,000/-. In the year 1994, this subsidy was raised to Rs.9,000/- and then to Rs.20,000/- from 1st January 2001. It was further revised in 2005 and the subsidy was raised to Rs. 40,000/-. In 2016 the Scheme was re-revised by the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The subsidy was raised to 1.50 lakh for workers.

In the Scheme, there is a condition applied for the benefit receiver to construct a house. The condition states that you should have your own land for construction, but the land size shouldn’t be smaller than 60 sq. Meters.

1. The Integrated Housing Scheme is applicable all for the workers of-

1. Beedi
2. IOMC (Iron ore mines, Magnesium ore mines & Chrome ore mines)
3. LSDM (Limestone ore mines, Dolomite ore mines)
4. Mica mines
5. Cine industries, which are registered with the Labor Welfare Organization (LWO).

2.  The RIHS-2016 was appraised by the Committee on Non-Plan Expenditure (CNE) in its meeting on 7.12.2015.
3.  Honorable Minister  (independent charge) of state for Labor and Employment approved subsidy amount enhancement from 40,000/- to Rs. 1.5 lakh.

Now, let’s read all about the Revised Integrated Housing Scheme for workers-2016.

Features of the revised integrated housing Scheme

• The Scheme shall be applicable to the workers engaged in Beedi, IOMC, LSDM & MMCI for at least one year. The expenditure for each group of workers will be made from the same budget head.
• The subsidy for the new housing unit shall be Rs. 1.50 lakh. The revised rate must be applied to the revised Scheme approval date.
• The subsidy amount shall be released in different slabs. They are-
• 1. 25% – Advance
  2. 60%- After lintel level
  3. 15%- After completion.
• No deposit will be required to be made by the beneficiary as a release pre-condition.
• The residential unit shall have no ceiling on the approximate cost of construction.
• The net usable floor area of the constructed house shall have no upperceiling.

What is the eligibility of the workers under the Scheme?

• Any Beedi/ IOMC/ LSDM/ MMCI workers registered under the Labour Welfare office is eligible for the Scheme.
• The one who is taking the subsidy should have Jan Dhan/ bank account number and Adhaar number.
• The person who is taking Scheme benefit should have homestead land. It can be jointly/ severally owned by other members of his/ her family or in his/her name.
• The land can be allotted/ leased by the Gram Sabha or State Government.
• The site land area should not be less than 30 square meters. This area size is for all urban as well as rural areas.
• After or before the application, the applicant should not have a pucca house in his own or spouse name. It also should not be in the dependent’s name within the national territory.

What are the other needs of the Scheme?

The applicant who has taken house subsidy earlier, shall be disqualified to take it again. In this regard, a declaration will be taken from the applicant.

There shall be no cap on the cost of upper limit of the construction. The beneficial person is free to contribute the money and personal manual labour for apartment house construction.

The amount of the subsidy shall be released as per the norms under the Scheme. It will be through the Direct Benefit Transfer portal of GOI.

The house/flat construction shall be governed by the norms of the local building. It shall be completed within 18 months of the period.

The beneficiary can take financial or loan help from State Governments/ public financial institutions/NGOs. It shall not be a disqualification for the one who is taking benefit of the Scheme.

What is the method to apply under the Project?

• You can apply for the new application in the prescribed format. However, the online mode is not yet available, so you can submit the application in offline mode.
• You need to complete all the aspects of the application including the attachment of required documents.
• Then you need to submit the application to the nearest office of LWO or office of welfare commissioner.

Conclusion

The Revised Integrated Housing Scheme-2016 has benefited and accomplished many dreams of the workers. If there is any question in your mind regarding the scheme then, you can contact GST Suvidha Kendra.