1.
INTRODUCTION
The Awaas+ mobile app, developed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), was launched by Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi in
Bhubaneshwar on 17th September 2024.
The application aims to simplify the identification and
inclusion of additional deprived households for housing assistance. It is a
cutting-edge initiative aimed at identifying eligible beneficiaries through a
comprehensive AI-enabled face authentication technology-based app for household
survey.
The
app captures details of potentially eligible households, including geo- tagged
photograph of the present dwelling and the proposed site for construction of
PMAY-G house.The app ensures:
·
Accuratedatacollection,
·
Focusontransparencyand
·
Easeofusefor bothcitizensandofficials
TheKeyfeaturesofAwaas+surveyapplicationareasfollows:
1. Self-Survey
2. AssistedSurvey
3. HousingTypologySelection
4. FaceAuthentication
5. Online&OfflineMode
6. DataCapturingofHHs
7. TimeStamped&geo-taggedphotos.
2.
SOPFORSELF-SURVEYUSINGAWAAS+
2024APPLICATION
DownloadtheAwaasPlusAppviahttps://pmayg.nic.in.
TheapplicationissupportedforAndroidPhonesonly.
AnycitizenwithavalidAadhaarnumbercanloginintoAwaasPlususingself-survey
feature. Only one self-survey can be done from one device.
Theself-surveycanbeconductedbyeitheramemberofthebeneficiaryhousehold
oranauthorizedrepresentative.AccesstotheapplicationwillrequireAadhaar- based
e-KYC verification.
Face
authentication-based e-KYC using Aadhaar is the sole method of authentication
for accessing the application.
Afterloggingintotheapplication,
optionstoaddanewsurvey, edit anexisting one, or upload a completed survey will
be displayed.
Whileconductingsurvey,locationofthehouseholduptovillagelevelisrequired.
Only LGD compliant Districts, Blocks, GPs and villages are available for
selection.
StatenamewillautomaticallybefixedbasedontheaddressfetchedfromAadhaar.
Self-survey to be done in the village where beneficiary is residing.
The first part of
the survey requires gathering essential personal information for all household
members including their Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, and other
socio-economic details.
Afterprovidingtherequiredinformation,onefamilymembermustbeselectedas
the potential beneficiary based on the following considerations:
·
If the family
includes female members, the female family member must beselected as the
beneficiary.
·
If the family has no
female members, any family member can be chosen as the beneficiary.
Face authentication-based e-KYC of the chosen
potential beneficiary is mandatory, however:
If e-KYC of
beneficiary cannot be performed due to issues such as no internet connectivity,
unavailability of Aadhaar, non-updation of biometric data in Aadhaar, etc., the
app will allow the beneficiary's face to be captured and stored, so that eKYC
can be conducted later.
Thereasonforthefailureofe-KYCisalsocapturedautomatically.
The option to enter
the potential beneficiary's bank account details will become available in the
next step. However, it is not mandatory as any benefits will be disbursed later
through the Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB).
In the next part of
the survey, responses to a questionnaire about the type of house
willberecorded.All questions areobjectiveinnature, andthispartofthe survey must
be carried out with due diligence.
Photos of the
family’s existing house and the proposed site (if they are found eligible and
receive benefits under PMAY-G) should be captured in the next stage.
Thesephotosaregeo-taggedandtimestampedtorecordtheirexactlocationand
time are recorded. These photos will then be analysed using AI models to assess
eligibility.
If the household is
found eligible and receives benefits under PMAY-G, the proposed site will serve
as the reference point for setting up a geo-fence.
In the final phase
of the survey application, users will be presented with options for housing
designs and mason training programs. While the users can select any housing
design, the chosen design will be considered as preference only.
After completing the
survey application, a preview of the submitted information willbe displayed.
User must then provide a declaration confirming the accuracy and truthfulness
of the details provided.
If any information is found to be incorrect later at the
time of scrutiny, household may be held responsible and will be liable for
necessary administrative action.
Thesurveywillsaveautomaticallyaftereachscreen,allowinguserstoaccessoredit
itanytimebeforesubmission.Oncethesurveyisfinalizedanduploadedtothe server, no
further modifications can be made.
Any survey conducted
without completing the beneficiary's e-KYC will be considered incomplete.
The incomplete
surveys identified in the previous step will be accessible to the self-
surveyor, who will have the option to reopen and complete the e-KYC process
later. Completing e-KYC is mandatory for finalizing the self-survey. For
self-surveys, beneficiary is responsible for updating the Aadhaar details and
completing the e-KYC process on the App.
All self-survey
cases will be stored separately, and their reports on the portal will be
maintained separately from assisted survey cases.
SURVEYCORROBORATION
All Self-Survey
cases must be corroboratedby a designated surveyor of the Gram Panchayat. Once
uploaded, the self-survey cases will be made available in assisted survey login
for corroboration by the surveyor.
Allsuchcorroborationswillrequirefaceauthenticationofthesurveyors.
While corroborating
any self-survey case, the surveyor must submit digital evidence and an
undertaking.
The outcome of this
corroboration process will be communicated to self-survey applicants via SMS,
and will also be visible in their self-survey login on the App.
Afterthesurveyorcompletesthecorroborationprocess,higherauthoritieswill
verify the cases based on the recommendations provided. The surveyors have no authority to delete/reject any of the self-survey
cases.
VERIFICATION
Intheself-surveycaseswherecorroborationevidencealignswiththecaptured
survey details, a designated checker, who must be a government employee from
any relevant department, must randomly verify 10% of the cases. Further, the
Block Development Officer (BDO) or equivalent officer must verify 5% of such
cases, and a District-level officer must verify 2% of such cases.
Forself-surveycaseswherecorroborationevidencedeviatesfromthecaptured
survey information, a designated checker of that GP must verify 100% of cases,
the Block Development Officer (BDO) or equivalent must verify a minimum of 10%
ofcases, and a district level authority must verify 2% of such cases.
Similarly, If
any deviation is found by the checker during the verification process, all
suchcasesaretobeverifiedonthelinesofpara2.13.2.Thecheckerhasno authority to delete/reject any of the self-survey
cases.
Multipleblockordistrict-levelofficerscanbeauthorizedtoperformthisverification.
The above survey
verifications are to be performed using the AwaasPlus 2024 Apponly.
Accordingly, the app will have a separate module to verify survey cases.
Before sending the
list to the Gram Sabha for verification, it is essential to verify that the job
card details of the surveyed household are correct. Validation and
deduplicationoftheMGNREGAjobcardwillbedoneviaNREGASoft,andtheresult of this
exercise will be available on the App.
APPROVAL
After verification
by the Gram Sabha, the list will be reviewed by the appellate committee. The
final approval of the list will only be granted after it has been vettedby the
appellate committee.
SurveyortoGramPanchayatMapping.
AadhaarbasedDemographicauthenticationofallsurveyorsandapprovalbyDistricts.
ConsentbyDistricts/Stateoncompletionofmappingexercise.
VerificationfornumberofGramPanchayatsandVillagestoGramPanchayats
mapping by Blocks/Districts.
DownloadtheAwaasPlusAppviahttps://pmayg.nic.in.
TheapplicationissupportedforAndroidPhonesonly.
Only registered and
approved surveyors can login into AwaasPlus using assisted-survey feature.
Fortheinstanceswherethesurveyor'sinitiale-KYChasn’tbeencompletedon
this device
Face
authentication-based e-KYC must be performed. This step requires an active
internet connection.
Uponsuccessfulcompletionofe-KYC,adevice-specificPINmustbecreated.
Faceauthentication-basede-KYCusingAadhaaristhesolemethodofauthentication
for accessing the application.
If the surveyor has
already completed the initial e-KYC on this device, the app can be accessed
using the device-specific PIN created as outlined in point above step.
Afterloggingintotheapplication,
optionstoaddanewsurvey, edit anexisting one, or upload a completed survey will
be displayed.
Whenstartinganewsurvey,theuserwillonlybeabletoselectGramPanchayats
and villages that are specifically mapped to them.
FACEAUTHENTICATION
The surveyor is
required to perform his/her face authentication every time a new household
survey is to be added.
If internet
connectivity is unavailable, the app will allow the surveyor's face to be
captured, stored and move ahead with the process. This face authentication will
be processed later, either in offline mode or when the data is uploaded.
Thereasonforfailureoffaceauthenticationisalsocapturedautomatically.
The first part of
the survey requires gathering essential personal information for all household
members including their Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, and other
socio-economic details.
Afterprovidingtherequiredinformation,onefamilymembermustbeselectedas
the potential beneficiary based on the following considerations.
Ifthefamilyincludesfemalemembers,thefemalefamilymembermustbeselected
as the beneficiary.
If the family has no
female members, any family member can be chosen as the beneficiary.
Face
authentication-based e-KYC of the chosen potential beneficiary is mandatory, however:
If e-KYC of
beneficiary cannot be performed due to issues such as no internet connectivity,
unavailability of Aadhaar, non-updation of biometric data in Aadhaar, etc., the
app will allow the beneficiary's face to be captured and stored, so that eKYC
can be conducted later.
Thereasonforthefailureofe-KYCisalsocapturedautomatically.
The option to enter
the potential beneficiary's bank account details will become available in the
next step. However, it is not mandatory as any benefits will be disbursed later
through the Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB).
In the next part of
the survey, responses to a questionnaire about the type of house willberecorded.All
questions areobjectiveinnature, andthispartofthe survey must be carried out
with due diligence.
Photos of the
family’s existing house and the proposed site (if they are found eligible and
receive benefits under PMAY-G) should be captured in the next stage.
Thesephotosaregeo-taggedandtimestampedtorecordtheirexactlocationand
time are recorded. These photos will then be analysed using AI models to assess
eligibility.
If the household is
found eligible and receives benefits under PMAY-G, the proposed site will serve
as the reference point for setting up a geo-fence.
In the final phase
of the survey application, users will be presented with options for
housingdesignsandmasontrainingprograms.Whiletheuserscanselectany housing
design, the chosen design will be considered as preference only.
After completing the
survey application, a preview of the submitted information willbe displayed.
User must then provide a declaration confirming the accuracy and truthfulness
of the details provided.
Ifanyinformationisfoundtobeincorrectlateratthetimeofscrutiny,surveyors
shall be accountable and administrative action maybe taken by the competent authority.
Thesurveywillsaveautomaticallyaftereachscreen,allowinguserstoaccessoredit
itanytimebeforesubmission.Oncethesurveyisfinalizedanduploadedtothe server, no
further modifications can be made.
Appwillalsoworkinofflinemode,Surveyorcandomultiplesurveysbefore
uploading them. However, before each survey the surveyor is required to perform
his/her face authentication as mentioned previously.
Any survey conducted
without completing the beneficiary's e-KYC will be considered incomplete.ThedepartmentwillissueaseparateStandardOperatingProcedure
(SOP) to guide the completion of e-KYC for such cases.
Duringthesurvey,ifissuessuchasproblemswithfaceidentification,orincomplete
e-KYC arise, these cases will be categorized as "incomplete surveys."
These cases will then be reviewed by a higher authority, who will initiate
necessary actions, including:
Assisting in
Creation/Update of beneficiary's Aadhaar and then capturing the data again.
Completing e-KYC
through various methods such as camp mode, beneficiary visits to the office,
using banking services.
The incomplete
surveys identified in the previous step will be accessible to the surveyors,
who will have the option to reopen these surveys and complete the e-KYC process.
For a Gram Panchayat
to be marked as "completed the survey activity" the following
verification criteria must be met through randomly selected cases. AwaasPlus
2024will have the separate module for verification of the survey cases.
A designated checker
(who must be a government employee from any relevant department) must verify
10% of the cases.
5%ofthecasesmustbeverifiedbytheBlockDevelopmentOfficer(BDO)orany
other equivalent officer.
Adistrict-levelofficialmustverifyatleast2%ofthecases.
Multiple officers at
the block or district level can be authorized to perform this verification.
Above survey
verifications are to be performed using AwaasPlus 2024 App only. Accordingly,
the app will have a separate module for verification of surveycases.
Before sending the
list to the Gram Sabha for verification, it is essential to verify that the job
card details of the surveyed household are correct. Validation and deduplicationoftheMGNREGAjobcardwillbedoneviaNREGASoft,andtheresult
of this exercise will be available on the App.
AfterverificationbytheGramSabha,theappellatecommitteewillreviewthelist.
The final approval of the list will only be granted after the appellate committee
has vetted it.
4.1.1.Ifanyinformationisfoundtobeincorrectlateratthetimeofscrutiny,the
concernedofficial(s)involvedinthesurveyprocess,shallbeheldaccountable
andthecompetentauthorityshalltakenecessaryadministrativeactionagainst the
erring officials.
