Ludhiana: At 39k, spurt in applications for PMAY 2.0 in rural areas

The jump in applications is a result of a grassroots campaign that engaged officials at the village level who identified the eligible people

Ludhiana (rural) has recorded a big jump in applications (39,500) this time for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 2.0. In 2018 (PMAY 1.0), the authorities had received only 1,200 applications. The applications for PMAY 2.0 were open between December 2024 and June 2025.

While the applications have been overwhelming for PMAY 2.0, the rate of disbursal of funds is not as smooth. (Manish/HT)

The jump in applications is a result of a grassroots campaign that engaged officials at the village level who identified the eligible people and informed them about how to apply, according to PMAY Ludhiana (rural) nodal officer Varun Rastogi.

“The Union government had this time planned an outreach programme, sending surveyors to villages who found out the eligible people and informed them about hem scheme and how to get the benefit. This led to more awareness, which increased applications for PMAY 2.0,” he said.

Another reason for the rise was a longer window for applying. The applications for PMAY 1.0 were accepted only for one month in 2018. This time the portal was open for over six months, which allowed more applications.

With the higher application, the verification process will also take longer this time. “There are a lot of perimeters we need to check, like the household must have a monthly income less than ₹15,000, the existing house should have a permanent roof, etc. Since there was an outreach campaign, more people were aware of the scheme and some ineligible people might have applied. So it is important to shunt out such applicants,” he said.

The verification process is on and will take some time before the applications are accepted. Once applicants are verified, they are eligible for ₹1.2 lakh, 90 days of labour under NGREGA, and also ₹15,000 for a toilet under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

While the applications have been overwhelming for PMAY 2.0, the rate of disbursal of funds is not as smooth. Of the 1,200 applications received for PMAY 1.0, only 700 were accepted. And just 280 houses have been completed so far.

The number of cases taken up depends on the targets given by the government. Nodal officer Rastogi said that the first target was issued in the financial year 2021-22 for 200 houses. The second target came in 2024-25 for 500 houses. 80 houses from the second batch are complete, and the work is in various stages for the rest, he said.

The funds are given to the beneficiaries through direct bank transfers in instalments based on different stages of construction, like foundation, walls and roof.