Keralam approves ₹1,000-crore housing scheme for SC, ST families

The Keralam government has approved a ₹1,000-crore special housing scheme to provide houses to 32,000 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) families during the current financial year.

Announcing the details at a press conference on Friday (October 30), Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes K.A. Thulasi said the scheme would cover 25,000 SC families and 7,000 ST families.

The initiative marks a return to a separate housing programme, with the government deciding to implement it directly through the respective departments rather than merge its funds with the LIFE Mission implemented by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

According to Ms. Thulasi, the government has also enhanced the housing assistance for SC families from ₹4 lakh to ₹6 lakh. For ST families, the assistance has been increased from ₹4 lakh to ₹6 lakh for houses, and from ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh for houses in remote locations. 

The Minister said ₹727.68 crore has been earmarked for the SC housing scheme, whereas the ST housing scheme has been allocated ₹252.52 crore. A further allocation of ₹20 crore has been set apart for housing assistance to particularly vulnerable sections.

Ms. Thulasi said the decision to revive a separate housing programme comes on account of the departments‘ experience with the implementation of the LIFE Mission. She pointed out that ₹120 crore allocated for SC housing in 2024-25 and ₹105 crore in 2025-26 had remained unspent and were subsequently returned to the Finance department.

In comparison, the United Democtatic Front (UDF) government would spend ₹727.68 crore on SC housing alone in a single financial year, against ₹757.47 crore spent through the LIFE Mission during the last eight years, she said.

Application timeline

Applications for the new scheme can be submitted from November 1 to 16 directly to the respective Scheduled Caste offices or through the department’s online portal.

The scrutiny and categorisation of applications will be completed by November 24. The beneficiary lists will be forwarded to district-level officers by November 30, and the final lists will be published on December 3. The State-level inauguration of the scheme will be held on December 6.

The financial assistance will be disbursed in four installments. The government plans to release the first instalment in December and the second on February 10. Two installments are expected to be distributed during the current financial year, while the the remaining payments will be linked to the progress of house construction.

Annual family income ceiling

The annual family income ceiling for SC applicants has been fixed at ₹3 lakh, while the limit for ST applicants is ₹1 lakh. Priority will be given to families headed by widows, households with members suffering from serious illnesses and other particularly vulnerable groups. Among SC applicants, unmarried women above 50 years of age heading families will also receive priority.

SC applicants should possess at least two cents of land in rural areas or 1.5 cents in urban areas. The applicants should be below 70 years of age, and houses constructed under the scheme should have a maximum area of 500 sq.ft. For ST families, households with more than two students will receive priority.

The Minister also addressed concerns over child deaths and maternal health among tribal communities in Attappady. A coordination committee, constituted to review the health and welfare situation in the region, had last met on May 16, 2023, and had not been convened again until the present government initiated a review on October 5.

The committee was originally intended to meet every three months to assess child nutrition, maternal health, community kitchens and the coordination of various government departments.

Ms. Thulasi said one of the major concerns identified during the review was the sharp decline in the number of community kitchens operating in Attappady. The number, which had reached 174 in 2016, had fallen to 28 in 2026.