Vipul Mitra, the Development Commissioner of Gujarat, said, “The change has been made to bring uniformity in rural housing schemes and provide high quality houses. Now, all houses will cost Rs 50,500.”

He said according to the new criteria, the houses under rural schemes will be given only according to BPL score. This will also minimise malpractices being undertaken by talatis and sarpanchs, he said.

Sources said the BPL score will be calculated on 13 parameters. The parameters have been further classified into four parts and each of this can have a score of 0 to 4. In the next stage, parameters and score codes will be multiplied to get the final BPL score of the family. The families having a score from 0 to 16 will avail of the benefits under various schemes.

The officials in the rural development department said the decision is taken to bring the state government schemes at par with the rural housing schemes of the central government. The additional cost and the selection criteria remain a point of debate, said sources.

Congress leader Arjun Modhvadia said, “The poor who have been bearing the cost in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 may have to pay more. I am sure they have also changed the share ratios.”

The GR received by the rural development department shows an increase in the share of the beneficiaries in schemes including Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana, Deendayal Awas yojana and Halpati Gruh yojana. The figures in case of other schemes are not revealed. However, Mitra says, “The state government will bear the additional cost.”

The BPL scores prepared by the government are based on a survey undertaken in 2003. But the BPL scores in Gujarat have varied from scheme to scheme — the reason known only to the policy makers. While the score for Indira Awas Yojana is fixed from 0 to 16, in other states it is 0 to 20. But, in Sardar Awas Yojana (the state government's scheme), the BPL score has been fixed as 0 to 20.

Modhvadia said, “The state government has been running the scheme just for the sake of doing it. Despite availability of central schemes, many other state schemes have been introduced but there is no progress. The government has a lot of money but there is no political will to use it for poor.”

The officials in the rural development department said, “The decision will benefit the poorest of the poor. And therefore the list has been prepared in the same order.”

The number of houses made under rural schemes till now

Indira Awas Yojana: 4,19,008

Sardar Awas Yojana: 2,69,160

Deendayal Awas Yojana: 43,532

Safai Kamdar Awas Yojana: 3,904

Anusuchit Janjati Aawas Yojana (Tribals): 32,193

Machhimar Awas Yojana: 4,396

Agariya Awas Yojana: 2,769