Jaipur: Rajasthan’s urban development department has drafted amendments to the Mukhyamantri Jan Awas Yojana to encourage private builders to develop affordable housing for economically weaker sections (EWS) and lower-income groups (LIG).The package combines extra buildable area (BAR) with fee waivers while tightening norms on the location of such units.“We have drafted a few amendments to the existing Rajasthan Mukhyamantri Jan Awas Yojana. The proposals will now be discussed before govt notifies them,” a senior UDH official stated.The draft proposes an additional 1.0 BAR for EWS and LIG housing. Individual residential projects may get an extra BAR ranging from 0.75 to 2.0, depending on building height. Govt has also proposed a 100% exemption from several levies, including land conversion charges.Officials believe the incentives could make affordable housing projects financially viable for developers. “The intention is to attract builders and ensure faster creation of affordable stock,” an official said.A key change seeks to address complaints that builders often construct mandatory EWS and LIG units far from their main projects, leaving beneficiaries without adequate access to roads, water supply, transport and other basic services. The amended rules would restrict the distance between the main project and these housing units.“These housing units must be built within a radius of 2 to 5 km, depending on the city’s population,” an official said. “The concerned civic authorities will grant the necessary permissions.”Under the proposed norms, builders in cities with a population of over 10 lakh can construct EWS and LIG units within 5 km of the main project. The limit will be 3 km in cities with populations between 1 lakh and 10 lakh, and 2 km in towns with fewer than 1 lakh people.The draft also revises the minimum land requirement for such projects. They will now have to be developed on plots larger than 10,000 sq m, against the existing threshold of 5,000 sq m.“The draft addresses shortcomings in the old plan, including delays and stalled construction,” a town planner said.
