PM Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 nears 20 lakh houses approved

Owning a home is everyone's dream, but for a poor person living in a city, that dream is not easy to fulfil. The central government's ambitious Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 is trying to turn this dream into reality, and the scheme has now nearly reached its target of 20 lakh houses.

According to the government, around 18,77,000 houses have been approved so far under PMAY-U 2.0. These approvals are helping urban poor families get affordable, safe and pucca homes. According to an official government statement, these approvals are a major step towards the goal of "Housing for All," enabling more urban families to become homeowners and build a better future.

The scheme gives special focus to women. Of the total 18,77,000 houses approved under PMAY-U 2.0 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), 17.19 lakh houses have been allotted in women's names. This has also increased the pace of the scheme's implementation and accelerated progress towards the "Housing for All" goal in urban areas.

Satyendra Singh, Secretary in the Urban Development Department at MoHUA, said joint efforts are needed to implement and monitor PMAY-U 2.0 in a timely and effective manner so that the scheme's benefits reach every eligible beneficiary. He also said that any problems that arise should be identified through discussions with states and union territories and resolved immediately.

The scheme aims to help eligible EWS, LIG and MIG families living in urban areas get houses through different methods. According to the government, beneficiaries under the scheme can build their own pucca house, buy a house in projects built under the scheme, avail affordable rental housing, or get interest subsidy on eligible home loans. This gives people different housing options based on their needs, eligibility and financial condition.

PMAY-U 2.0 builds on the continuous progress made under PMAY-U. Together, PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0 have approved more than 1.25 crore houses so far, and more than 1 crore houses have been completed and handed over to beneficiaries.

To ensure the scheme's benefits reach every section and weaker groups of society get equal opportunity, 1.80 lakh houses have been allotted to senior citizens. In addition, around 3.25 lakh houses have been approved for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries, 1.02 lakh houses for Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries, and 8.22 lakh houses for Other Backward Class beneficiaries.