Centre approves construction of 2.88 lakh houses in urban areas under PMAY 2.0

Around 2.88 lakh houses were sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0 on Monday, an official statement said. According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, with the latest approval of 2,87,618 houses, the total number of sanctioned houses under PMAY-U 2.0 has crossed 13.61 lakh. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee chaired by ministry secretary Srinivas Katikithala. According to the statement, the new houses will be built across 16 states and Union territories -- Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- under various verticals, including Beneficiary Led Construction (1.66 lakh), Affordable Housing in Partnership (1.09 lakh) and Affordable Rental Housing (12,846). Three 'Demonstration Housing Projects', comprising 40 dwelling units each, were also approved in Chhattisgarh, Puducherry and Rajasthan to showcase modern, cost-effective construction technologies. Among the 2.88 lakh sanctioned houses on Monday, more than 1.60 lakh houses have been allotted to women, including widows and those who are separated or unmarried. Eight dwelling units are sanctioned for transgender persons. Further, 22,581 houses have been allotted to senior citizens. Besides, 35,525 houses have been sanctioned for SC beneficiaries, 9,773 for ST beneficiaries, and 82,190 are for OBC beneficiaries, the ministry said.