Srinagar, Oct 15 (KNO): With winter approaching, hundreds of families across Jammu and Kashmir who claim to be eligible for assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) continue to wait for their cases to be cleared, with many alleging that repeated verifications over the past several years have yielded little progress on the ground.
For families living in makeshift sheds, temporary structures and dilapidated shelters, the delay has become a source of growing anxiety as temperatures begin to fall. They say their living conditions become particularly difficult during winter, when rain, cold and snowfall make it challenging to protect children, elderly family members and other vulnerable household members.
Gulzar Ahmad from south Kashmir's Pulwama district and Nadeem Ahmad from Shopian are among those who say they have been waiting for their cases to move forward despite repeated verification exercises. They claim their experiences reflect the difficulties faced by other economically vulnerable families still hoping to receive assistance to build permanent homes.
The affected families, speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), allege that officials have visited their homes and verified their living conditions on several occasions, but they have yet to see any tangible outcome. They say they have repeatedly provided information about their circumstances and waited for their cases to be processed, only to find themselves facing another winter without a permanent roof over their heads.
"We have been waiting for years, and our circumstances have not changed. Officials have conducted verifications repeatedly, but we are still living in the same conditions. Every winter brings fresh difficulties, and we do not know how much longer we will have to wait," said a beneficiary awaiting assistance.
Gulzar said families like his were not seeking anything beyond the opportunity to build a modest, permanent home where they could live with dignity and security. He said living in a temporary shelter had become increasingly difficult, particularly for families with children and elderly members.
"We are not asking for anything luxurious. We only want a safe house for our families. Our circumstances have been checked several times, yet we are still waiting. If the verification has already established our condition, the authorities should tell us why our cases have not progressed," he said.
Similarly, Nadeem said the prolonged wait had left his family uncertain about its future, with the prospect of another harsh winter adding to their worries.
"Every year, we hope that our case will finally be cleared and that we will be able to start building a proper house. But the years pass, and we remain where we were. Another winter is approaching, and our family is still struggling to live in a makeshift shelter," he said.
The issue has assumed greater significance as the Centre has extended PMAY-G for the period from 2024-25 to 2028-29, with assistance aimed at providing permanent houses to additional eligible rural households. The scheme provides financial assistance of ₹1.30 lakh per house in hilly areas, including Jammu and Kashmir, subject to prescribed eligibility and implementation guidelines.
However, the affected families said the extension of the scheme would offer little immediate relief unless their pending cases were examined and eligible beneficiaries were brought into the assistance process.
They also called for greater transparency in beneficiary selection, saying authorities should clearly communicate whether an application is pending verification, awaiting approval, excluded from the relevant list or held up for any other reason.
In September 2026, the government informed the Legislative Assembly that the inclusion of beneficiaries under PMAY-G was being undertaken in accordance with prescribed guidelines. It also acknowledged that some deserving households were not appearing in the draft Permanent Wait List, apparently because of automated scrutiny, validation and eligibility checks.
The affected families said such cases required careful examination so that eligible households were not left out because of procedural issues or discrepancies in the verification process.
They urged the Rural Development Department and concerned district administrations to review long-pending cases, conduct a fresh assessment wherever necessary and communicate clear decisions to applicants.
With winter approaching, they said, the immediate priority should be to identify genuinely deserving families living in unsafe conditions and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive assistance in accordance with the scheme's rules.
For Gulzar Ahmad, Nadeem Ahmad and other families in similar circumstances, the demand is simple: after years of waiting and repeated verification, they want a clear decision and a realistic path towards a permanent home—(KNO)