The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has taken a major step toward its "Housing for All" mission by approving the construction of 3,52,915 houses (over 3.53 lakh) under the newly launched Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0) scheme.

First Approval Under PMAY-U 2.0

This landmark approval came during the first meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC), chaired by MoHUA Secretary Srinivas Katikithala. The houses will be built under two key components of the scheme:

  • Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC): Families build their own houses with government financial support
  • Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Government partners with public and private developers to create affordable housing projects

States and Union Territories Covered

The approved houses will be constructed across 10 States and Union Territories:

  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Arunachal Pradesh
  • Bihar
  • Haryana
  • Jammu and Kashmir
  • Odisha
  • Puducherry
  • Rajasthan
  • Telangana
  • Uttar Pradesh

Strong Focus on Women Empowerment

The scheme places special emphasis on women's ownership and security:

  • Over 2.67 lakh houses (approximately 77% of total approvals) have been sanctioned for women beneficiaries
  • Special focus on single women and widows
  • Property ownership must be in the woman's name or jointly with her spouse to ensure financial security
  • 90 houses have been specifically allocated for transgender beneficiaries, promoting inclusion

Support for Marginalized Communities

The approvals ensure representation across social categories:

  • Scheduled Castes (SC): 80,850 houses
  • Scheduled Tribes (ST): 15,928 houses
  • Other Backward Classes (OBC): 2,12,603 houses
  • Additional preference given to persons with disabilities and senior citizens

Uttar Pradesh's Special Initiative

Uttar Pradesh has introduced extra financial support for vulnerable groups:

  • ₹30,000 additional assistance for senior citizens above 70 years of age
  • ₹20,000 extra support each for:
    • Unmarried women above 40 years
    • Widows
    • Separated women

About PMAY-U 2.0

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2024, PMAY-U 2.0 is an ambitious five-year mission to provide affordable, all-weather pucca houses to one crore urban poor and middle-class families across India.

The scheme operates through four verticals:

  • Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC)
  • Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP)
  • Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) – for migrant workers and urban poor who cannot afford to buy homes
  • Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS) – provides interest subsidy on home loans for eligible families

Who Can Apply?

Families belonging to the following income categories are eligible if they do not own a pucca house anywhere in India:

  • Economically Weaker Section (EWS): Annual income up to ₹3 lakh
  • Low Income Group (LIG): Annual income between ₹3 lakh and ₹6 lakh
  • Middle Income Group (MIG): Annual income up to ₹9 lakh

Financial Assistance

  • Central government provides ₹2.50 lakh assistance per housing unit for EWS beneficiaries
  • Total government assistance planned: ₹2.30 lakh crore
  • Estimated total investment in the scheme: ₹10 lakh crore
  • Memorandums of Agreement have been signed with 31 States and Union Territories for implementation

Progress So Far

Since the original PMAY-U scheme began in June 2015:

  • 1.1864 crore houses have been sanctioned nationwide
  • Approximately 92 lakh houses have already been constructed and handed over to beneficiaries
  • PMAY-U 2.0 builds on this success to reach the remaining eligible urban families

This approval marks a significant step toward ensuring every urban family in India has access to a safe, secure, and dignified home – with special care for women, senior citizens, and marginalized communities.