India’s Big Plan: Building Homes for Everyone in Cities
The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in India is working hard to provide strong houses with essential amenities to urban residents. As of July 15, 118.64 lakh houses have been approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) scheme, with 85.04 lakh already completed.
About the Scheme
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) was launched on June 25, 2015, to address housing needs in urban areas. The scheme offers financial help for housing projects through four key verticals:
- Beneficiary-led Individual House Construction/Enhancements (BLC)
- Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP)
- In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR)
- Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)
Under PMAY-U, the central government provides fixed assistance: Rs 1.0 lakh per house under ISSR, Rs 1.5 lakh per house for AHP and BLC verticals, and an interest subsidy of up to Rs 2.67 lakh per house for beneficiaries in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG) through CLSS. The remaining costs are covered by states, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), or the beneficiaries themselves.
Progress Across States
| State | Houses Sanctioned | Houses Grounded | Houses Completed | Central Assistance Sanctioned (in crore Rs) | Central Assistance Released (in crore Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 21,37,028 | 19,90,937 | 9,73,837 | 32,568.27 | 23,800.26 |
| Bihar | 3,14,477 | 3,05,811 | 1,47,979 | 4,950.45 | 3,368.00 |
| Gujarat | 10,05,204 | 9,83,778 | 9,18,185 | 21,064.34 | 19,805.76 |
| Maharashtra | 13,64,923 | 11,16,949 | 8,55,339 | 25,548.21 | 19,323.37 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 17,76,823 | 17,33,051 | 15,47,101 | 27,962.68 | 26,065.17 |
| Northeastern States and UTs | 4,10,572 | 3,77,116 | — | — | — |
Challenges and Future Plans
Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Tokhan Sahu, highlighted the ongoing efforts and challenges in implementing PMAY-U. The Ministry continues to work closely with states and UTs to ensure timely completion of housing projects and adherence to guidelines. The project is set to continue until December 31, 2024, ensuring more homes are built across various states.
Doubts Revealed
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs -: This is a part of the Indian government that looks after building and maintaining houses and cities.
urban residents -: These are people who live in cities and towns, not in villages or rural areas.
118.64 lakh -: In India, ‘lakh’ means 100,000. So, 118.64 lakh is 11,864,000 houses.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) -: This is a government program started in 2015 to help people in cities get good houses. ‘Pradhan Mantri’ means ‘Prime Minister’ in Hindi.
financial help -: This means giving money to people or projects to help them build houses.
December 31, 2024 -: This is the date until which the housing project will continue, so more houses can be built by then.
