Karnataka may ease rules for affordable housing

Karnataka is working on its own policy to allow potential homeowners to build multistorey residential apartments through their own societies. The idea is to enable people to plan and build their own homes under the Centre's PM Awas Yojana (PMAY) without encountering the routine bureaucratic hurdles if the government were to implement the scheme. The Centre has favourably responded to Karnataka's novel idea, and asked its housing department to try it out on a pilot basis. The department hit upon the idea after its officials interacted with a group of potential beneficiaries in north Karnataka. About 56 tribal families showed interest to form societies and build their house as they thought it was less cumbersome. Karnataka is among several states that have been slow in implementing the PMAY -- a critical programme to counter the rising homelessness in the country.