612,000 houses pre-approved under PMAY 2.0, more sanctions expected soon: Khattar

The number of houses for each state for the next five years will be announced after March, based on state-level surveys

New Delhi: A total of 612,000 houses, out of a target of 10 million, have already been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 scheme, which was approved by the cabinet in August.

Khattar said that the decision to pre-approve houses was made to expedite the process of construction (Representational photo)

Manohar Lal Khattar, the minister of housing and urban affairs, said that an additional 100,000 houses will be pre-approved once the remaining three to four states sign the agreement.

He also mentioned that the number of houses for each state for the next five years will be announced after March, based on state-level surveys, so applicants will know when they will be allotted a house. Additionally, states will soon receive the first tranche of central assistance corresponding to the pre-approved numbers.

Khattar also highlighted that a similar survey would be conducted to assess the need for rental housing for working women, industrial workers, urban migrants, homeless individuals, students, and other eligible beneficiaries, as part of the PMAY-U 2.0 initiative.

The minister explained that the decision to pre-approve houses was made to expedite the process of construction.

The numbers are based on the Census 2011 urban population. States like Uttar Pradesh (110,000), Maharashtra (52,000), Andhra Pradesh (50,000), Gujarat (50,000), and West Bengal (50,000) have the highest share of pre-approved sanctions, while smaller states such as Goa have been allocated 500 units.

For the interest subvention sub-scheme under the flagship housing programme, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with three central nodal agencies, which are working with 150 banks and housing finance companies, and a unified portal has also been set up, an official said.

The minister also pointed out that investments in the urban infrastructure sector have grown 16 times, from approximately ₹1,78,053 crore between 2004-2014 to ₹28,52,527 crore since 2014. He emphasised that this reflects the government’s commitment to achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 and highlights the ministry’s accomplishments under Prime Minister Modi.