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Context:

The Centre has approved the construction of over 2.35 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana  

It is a credit-linked subsidy scheme launched to promote access to affordable housing for the low and moderate-income residents of the country.

Core Objectives

To provide financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries to construct or acquire a 'pucca' (permanent) house.

To promote women's empowerment by providing for the ownership of houses in the name of the female head of the household or in joint names.

To ensure the provision of basic amenities such as toilets, electricity, and drinking water through convergence with other government schemes.

It has two components: 

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U): Implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G): Implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U)

PMAY-U, launched in 2015, focuses on the housing needs of the urban poor.

The scheme caters to the following categories in urban areas:

• 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 I (MIG-I): Annual income between ₹6 lakh and ₹12 lakh
• Middle-Income Group II (MIG-II): Annual income between ₹12 lakh and ₹18 lakh

A beneficiary family should not own a pucca house in any part of India to be eligible.

PMAY-U is implemented through four strategies:

In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR): Uses land as a resource to provide houses to eligible slum dwellers.

Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS): Provides interest subsidies on home loans for beneficiaries from the EWS, LIG, and MIG categories. The subsidy can be up to 6.5%.

Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Provides financial assistance to public and private sector partners to build affordable housing projects.

Beneficiary-led Individual House Construction/Enhancement (BLC): Provides central assistance of up to ₹1.5 lakh to eligible families to construct their own houses.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G)

PMAY-G, formerly the Indira Awas Yojana, was revamped and launched in 2016 to address the housing needs of the rural poor.

Beneficiaries are identified based on the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data and the Awaas+ software. The scheme gives priority to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other vulnerable groups.

Implementation

The cost of the housing unit is shared between the Central and State Governments in a 60:40 ratio in plain areas and 90:10 for North-Eastern and hilly states.

Financial assistance of ₹1.20 lakh is provided in plain areas and ₹1.30 lakh in hilly areas, North-Eastern states, and difficult areas.

The scheme also provides for assistance of ₹12,000 for toilet construction through convergence with the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Recent Developments

The Union Government approved the construction of 2.35 lakh houses under PMAY-U 2.0. The houses will be built in nine states: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

This new approval brings the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY-U 2.0 to 7,09,979. This phase is the focus on inclusivity. Over 1.25 lakh of the newly approved homes are for women, including single women and widows. 

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PMAY-U aims to address urban housing challenges 

PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA (PMAY)

Source: 

THE HINDU