Kerala Plans Housing Boost for SC/ST Families: Details

Kerala is considering a dedicated housing scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, potentially adding a new layer to the state's existing housing support.

While details of the proposed scheme are yet to be announced, several south Indian states already run programmes offering SC/ST families housing assistance, land or fully built homes.

Kerala's existing ST LIFE Mission housing support

Kerala already provides housing support to ST families through the LIFE Mission. The state's tribal housing programme covers construction of individual houses as well as flats, housing complexes and clusters.

It also provides assistance for completing unfinished houses and repairing or renovating dilapidated homes, with Rs 2.5 lakh sanctioned under the SAFE house-repair programme for eligible beneficiaries.

Ninety per cent of beneficiaries under the ST LIFE housing scheme are to be women.

How Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh support SC/ST housing

Several other south Indian states run their own SC/ST-focused housing programmes:

• Tamil Nadu offers a land-ownership intervention through the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO).

  Its land-purchase scheme, designed primarily for Scheduled Caste women, provides a subsidy of up to 50 per cent of the project cost or Rs 5 lakh, whichever is lower, with the land registered in the beneficiary's name and 100 per cent exemption from stamp duty and registration fees.

• Karnataka runs the Dr B R Ambedkar Nivas Yojana as part of its housing programmes for SC/ST households.
• Andhra Pradesh implements housing programmes through the Andhra Pradesh State Housing Corporation, which provides financial and technical assistance to eligible BPL families for constructing permanent houses.

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Telangana's Indiramma Indlu and what's next for Kerala

Telangana's Indiramma Indlu scheme provides Rs 5 lakh in 100 per cent subsidy for house construction.

The scheme covers houseless poor families and allows beneficiaries to use their own site or a government-provided site, with its first phase targeting 4.5 lakh houses.

Across the five states, the approach therefore ranges from house construction and repair to land ownership and government-supported housing.

For Kerala, the next important step will be the formal announcement of its proposed SC/ST scheme and the details of how it will differ from the housing support already available under existing programmes, including how its design might draw on elements already in place in neighbouring states.

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