Centre okays construction of additional 1.41 lakh houses under PMAY-Urban 2.0

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of an additional 1.41 lakh houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0, taking the total number of sanctioned dwelling units under the scheme to over 10 lakh.

In a statement, the ministry said the decision was taken at a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Srinivas Katikithala on Wednesday.

The latest approvals cover 14 states and Union Territories -- Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.


The HUA ministry said it has encouraged states and Union territories to increase occupancy of houses while also ensuring that infrastructure and connectivity are in place.

"Projects should be finalised in places where there is adequate infrastructure, roads, public transportation and connectivity to ensure ease of living for beneficiaries," the statement quoted Katikithala as saying in the meeting.

The committee also reviewed the progress of PMAY-Urban 2.0 and discussed the strategies to enhance the implementation of the scheme while ensuring the timely completion of houses.

The ministry said that PMAY-Urban 2.0 focuses on providing dignified living to eligible urban beneficiaries and promotes inclusivity and contributes to making an equitable society by helping the urban poor and vulnerable sections of society gain access to affordable pucca houses, which will improve their living standards.

The scheme also promotes women's empowerment by sanctioning houses either in the name of the female head of the household or joint ownership.