Rajasthan Gets Approval for 2.89 Lakh PMAY-G Houses Worth ₹3,473 Crore

The Union Minister said the latest housing approval would help families currently living in kutcha houses move into permanent homes.

Rajasthan has received approval for 2,89,355 additional rural houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), representing a project outlay of ₹3,473 crore. Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over the approval letter to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma during a state-level PMAY-G programme in Baran, where housing, agriculture, women's livelihoods and village-level development formed the main focus of his visit.

Chouhan also handed over an approval letter for ₹340.59 crore covering agricultural development initiatives and the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Members of Parliament, MLAs, state ministers and local residents attended the programme, which brought together several announcements affecting rural households and farmers across Rajasthan.

The Union Minister said the latest housing approval would help families currently living in kutcha houses move into permanent homes. The government is also working through a much larger pool of potential beneficiaries, with a survey covering 29,13,749 new beneficiaries already completed in the state.

PMAY-G Eligibility Expanded to Cover More Rural Families

Chouhan announced three changes in housing eligibility rules that could bring more rural households within the reach of assistance. Families owning a two-wheeler will now be eligible for a pucca house, removing a restriction that could previously affect their eligibility despite other economic circumstances.

The income criterion has also been expanded. Women earning up to ₹15,000 a month will be eligible for housing benefits, compared with the earlier ceiling of ₹10,000. Small farmers owning up to five acres of unirrigated land or 2.5 acres of irrigated land will also qualify for housing assistance.

These changes could become particularly important as Rajasthan moves from its completed beneficiary survey to physical verification. Chouhan said houses would be sanctioned for the remaining eligible families after verification and asked authorities to ensure that deserving households are not excluded because of mistakes in beneficiary lists.

He directed officials to display beneficiary lists transparently at district and panchayat levels and provide an opportunity for objections to be heard. The process is intended to make it easier to identify errors before final decisions are made and reduce the chances of eligible rural families missing housing assistance.

The housing announcement comes alongside a broader push to improve rural incomes and economic opportunities. Chouhan said 16 lakh women in Rajasthan have already become Lakhpati Didis, while the next target is to double that figure to 32 lakh. Banks have disbursed ₹13,400 crore to women to support entrepreneurial activities, according to figures shared during the programme.

₹12,000 Crore Rural Development Target Set for Nine Months

Rural infrastructure was another major part of the announcements, with Chouhan discussing the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G Yojana and setting out a ₹12,000 crore investment target for Rajasthan over the next nine months. The initiative is expected to extend across gram panchayats, with an indicative target of around ₹80 lakh annually for each panchayat.

Chouhan said decisions on village development priorities should be made by local communities at the panchayat level rather than being determined from Delhi or Jaipur. Such an approach would give residents a greater role in identifying the roads, facilities, infrastructure and other works most relevant to their villages.

Agricultural costs and input availability also featured prominently in his address. Speaking about urea, the minister said a bag costing around ₹3,000 at international prices is being made available to farmers for ₹266 through government support. He warned that strict action would be taken against black marketing of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs.

Fake pesticides and substandard seeds were identified as another area requiring tougher action. Chouhan said the current legal framework is insufficient to deal with such practices and announced plans for stronger legislation concerning pesticides and seeds in the next session of Parliament. The proposed measures are expected to include stricter punishment for malpractice and greater safeguards for farmers purchasing agricultural inputs.

Kota-Jhalawar Agriculture Plan to Cover Crops, Processing and Exports

A dedicated agricultural roadmap is also planned for the Kota-Jhalawar region, bringing scientists and farmers together to examine opportunities across the agricultural value chain. Chouhan said the exercise would consider new crops, processing, marketing and exports rather than looking at cultivation as an isolated activity.

The approach is intended to explore how farmers can capture more value from their produce between the farm gate and the final market. Better processing and marketing opportunities can become particularly important in regions where farmers produce marketable surpluses but have limited access to value addition or wider domestic and international buyers.

The announcements made in Baran connect rural housing with a wider set of development priorities covering agriculture, women-led enterprises, local infrastructure and farmer protection. With more than 29 lakh potential new housing beneficiaries already surveyed, the next stage will depend heavily on physical verification and transparent preparation of final beneficiary lists.

Chouhan also called on citizens to participate in social initiatives such as tree planting, girls' education and efforts to build drug-free communities. He described Vande Mataram as a symbol of India's freedom struggle, sacrifice and patriotism, while urging those present to contribute collectively towards the goals of Viksit Rajasthan and Viksit Gaon.