32,000 houses planned; LIFE Mission set aside as SC-ST department announces independent housing scheme

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The SC-ST Development Department has announced a separate, large-scale housing scheme, moving away from the LIFE Mission, to construct 25,000 houses for Scheduled Caste (SC) beneficiaries and 7,000 houses for Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries. The scheme will involve an expenditure of Rs 1,000 crore during the current financial year. For the past eight years, housing assistance for SC and ST communities had been provided through the LIFE Mission. However, the department decided to introduce a separate scheme following an assessment that the existing arrangement had not delivered significant benefits, Minister K.A. Thulasi said at a press conference.

An amount of Rs 757 crore has been earmarked for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries and Rs 252 crore for Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries. An additional Rs 20 crore has been allocated for particularly vulnerable Scheduled Caste communities. The financial assistance for house construction for SC and ST beneficiaries has been increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. For ST beneficiaries constructing houses in isolated and extremely difficult-to-access areas, the assistance will be increased to Rs 8 lakh. The scheme will be inaugurated on November 1, and the financial assistance will be released in four instalments, with two instalments scheduled to be disbursed during the current financial year.

Over the past eight years, Rs 757.47 crore was spent through the LIFE Mission on housing for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries. The SC Development Department had provided Rs 120 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 105 crore in 2025-26 to the LIFE Mission. However, the Finance Department took back the funds without spending even a single rupee. According to estimates, 50,000 families belonging to Scheduled Caste communities and 11,000 families belonging to Scheduled Tribe communities in the state remain homeless.

Applications can be submitted online or directly

Applications for housing assistance can be submitted either directly at the respective development offices or online through the department's portal. The annual family income limit is Rs 3 lakh. Families headed by widows and those with members suffering from serious illnesses will be given priority. Houses must be constructed with an area of 500 square feet.

Under the Scheduled Caste housing scheme, applicants must own two cents of land in rural areas and at least 1.5 cents in urban areas. Families with an annual income of up to Rs 50,000 will be given priority. Under the Scheduled Tribe housing scheme, the annual family income limit is Rs 3 lakh. Families with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh and those having more than two students will receive priority.

Schedule

• Last date to submit applications: November 16
• Preparation of beneficiary list: November 30
• Publication of beneficiary list: December 3
• First instalment: Before December 24
• Second instalment: After February 10, 2027