Saturday, 05 Oct, 2024
Over 85.5 lakh residences have now been built and given to the beneficiaries of PMAY-U, out of the 1.18 crore houses that have been sanctioned. Image Source: IANS
One of the main flagship initiatives of the Indian government, PMAY-U, aims to provide all eligible beneficiaries in urban areas all-weather pucca dwellings.
The union cabinet chaired by PM Modi approved the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0 on August 9, 2024. Financial assistance will be provided to around 1 crore urban poor and middle-class families through States/Union Territories (UTs)/ PLIs to construct, purchase or rent a house at an affordable cost in urban areas in 5 years under the new scheme.
One of the main flagship initiatives of the Indian government, PMAY-U, aims to provide all eligible beneficiaries in urban areas all-weather pucca dwellings. Over 85.5 lakh residences have now been built and given to the beneficiaries of PMAY-U, out of the 1.18 crore houses that have been sanctioned.
On June 10, 2024, the Union Cabinet decided to help 3 crore more rural and urban households build homes in order to fulfil the increased demand for housing brought on by the rise in the number of eligible families. With an investment of ₹ 10 lakh crore, PMAY-U 2.0 will fulfil the housing needs of one crore families in pursuit of the goal of the Prime Minister, guaranteeing that every person has a higher standard of living.
Launched on June 25, 2015, the scheme addresses Urban housing shortage among the Urban Poor including the Slum Dwellers by ensuring a pucca house for eligible urban poor. The scheme includes Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities, and any other authority approved by state law to handle urban planning and regulations in the entirety of the urban area. The scheme promotes women's empowerment by providing the ownership of houses in the name of female members or in a joint name.
Families belonging to EWS/LIG/Middle Income Group (MIG) segments having no pucca house anywhere across the country are eligible to purchase or construct a house under PMAY-U 2.0. The scheme categorises EWS households as families with an annual income up to ₹3 lakh, LIG households as families with an annual income from ₹3 lakh up to ₹6 lakh and MIG households as families with an annual income from ₹6 lakh up to ₹9 lakh.
The progress made under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) is as follows:
Construction of Houses under PMAY (U) (In Lakhs)
*As on August 05, 2024
Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
In order to find and mainstream the best, internationally available, proven construction technologies that are environmentally friendly, disaster-resistant, and sustainable, the Global Housing Technology Challenge India (GHTC-India) was launched in 2019. Later, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundations for six LightHouse Projects (LHPs) on January 1, 2021. These LHPs are being constructed under PMAY-U.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) sub-scheme under PMAY(U) for urban migrants/poor in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is anticipated that investments made under ARHCs will result in 11.74 crore person-days of employment, of which 3.89 crore are direct and 7.84 crore are indirect. There are 1.39 lakh direct jobs and 2.80 lakh indirect jobs, for a total of 4.19 lakh jobs.
The PMAY scheme seeks to work in tandem with other government programs, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, MGNREGA, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Ujjwala Yojana, to provide basic amenities during the construction of houses. However, reports have exposed inadequacies in the scheme's coordination, with incomplete toilets in Rajasthan giving rise to allegations of 'Open Defecation Free' status.
Though the necessary steps are taken by the government, the progress under the PMAY (U) is being made at a slow pace. The Central government and the state governments need to work hand-in-hand with a spirit of cooperative federalism irrespective of political differences and focus on implementation of the scheme at the grassroots levels as housing is a basic necessity for survival.
