SRINAGAR: The Union Government on Thursday said 45,982 houses have been sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) and PMAY-U 2.0, with 35,961 houses already completed or delivered, while asserting that the combined housing programme is expected to exceed the country’s assessed urban housing shortage.
Replying to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said Jammu and Kashmir has been sanctioned 42,584 houses under PMAY-U and 3,398 houses under PMAY-U 2.0, taking the total to 45,982 houses. Of these, 43,907 houses have been grounded and 35,961 completed or handed over to beneficiaries.
The Centre said it has approved Rs 734 crore as Central assistance for Jammu and Kashmir, of which Rs 544 crore has been released.
Nationally, the ministry informed the House that 111.48 lakh houses have been sanctioned under PMAY-U since its launch in 2015, while 16.20 lakh houses have been sanctioned under PMAY-U 2.0, launched on September 1, 2024. Together, the two schemes have sanctioned 127.68 lakh houses, with 121.03 lakh houses grounded and 99.07 lakh houses completed or delivered.
The Centre has approved Rs 2.12 lakh crore in Central assistance under the two schemes, of which Rs 1.81 lakh crore has been released to States and Union Territories.
The ministry said the PMAY-U 2.0 ‘Housing for All’ Mission aims to support one crore additional eligible urban beneficiaries over five years through four verticals—Beneficiary-Led Construction, Affordable Housing in Partnership, Affordable Rental Housing and the Interest Subsidy Scheme.
On urban housing shortage, the government said the latest official assessment remains the estimate prepared by the Technical Group for the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, which projected a shortage of 187.8 lakh urban houses in 2012, predominantly among Economically Weaker Sections and Low Income Groups.
The ministry noted that the housing demand reported by States and Union Territories during 2017-18 stood at around 112 lakh houses, and stressed that PMAY-U follows a demand-driven approach without fixed State-wise targets. It added that housing demand is dynamic and houses continue to be sanctioned based on proposals submitted by States and Union Territories.
The government said that, with PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0 together expected to sanction more than two crore houses, the programme is projected to exceed the assessed urban housing demand. It also highlighted that eligible beneficiaries can directly apply through the unified PMAY-U 2.0 online portal, with applications being verified by Urban Local Bodies and State governments in accordance with scheme guidelines.
