PMAY Urban 2.0 launched with a massive scale-up in urban housing
₹2.2 lakh crore central support over five years for 1 crore urban homes
Special focus on middle-class housing
Inclusion of eco-friendly construction technologies for sustainable housing
Expansion of DBT architecture to prevent fraud and leakage
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is a flagship social welfare scheme launched by the Government of India in 2015, with the vision of providing "Housing for All" by 2022. Despite the original 2022 target, the scheme has been extended with continued financial support to fulfill the housing needs of both rural and urban poor.
In the Union Budget 2023-24, the outlay for the scheme was increased by 66% to over ₹79,000 crore, and under PM Awas Yojana Urban 2.0, the government announced the construction of three crore more houses, with an estimated investment of ₹10 lakh crore, including central assistance of ₹2.2 lakh crore over the next five years.
PMAY is divided into two components:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U): Targets urban poor, including slum dwellers.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G): Targets rural households without pucca houses or those living in kutcha homes.
It is linked with other welfare schemes to ensure holistic development:
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan - for sanitation and toilets
Saubhagya Yojana - for electricity connections
Ujjwala Yojana - for LPG gas connection
Jan Dhan Yojana - for financial inclusion and zero-balance bank accounts
To provide affordable pucca houses to all eligible households
To uplift the socio-economic status of urban and rural poor
To empower women through property ownership
To integrate eco-friendly construction technologies
To reduce slums and unhygienic living conditions in urban areas
Housing Size:
PMAY-G: 25 sq. meters (minimum)
PMAY-U: 30 to 200 sq. meters based on category
Financial Assistance:
PMAY-G: ₹1.20 lakh (plain areas), ₹1.30 lakh (hilly/NE states, LWE districts)
PMAY-U: ₹1.5 lakh central assistance per EWS house
Toilet Construction Assistance:
₹12,000 per household under Swachh Bharat Mission
Interest Subsidy:
Up to 6.5% under Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):
Funds are transferred directly to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts
PMAY-U is designed to address the housing shortage among urban poor, including:
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
Low Income Groups (LIG)
Middle Income Groups (MIG I & II)
Slum dwellers and homeless families
As of 15 July 2024:
118.64 lakh houses sanctioned
84.7 lakh houses completed
Urban poor: street vendors, rickshaw pullers, industrial workers, and migrants
Women (ownership in the name of female or jointly)
SC, ST, OBC, minorities, transgender, senior citizens, differently-abled, and other vulnerable sections
In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR):
Redevelopment using land as a resource with private sector participation
Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS):
Interest subsidy of up to 6.5% for 15 years on home loans
Loan up to ₹6 lakh eligible for subsidy
Subsidy directly credited to the borrower's account
Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP):
Partnership with public and private sectors for EWS housing
Beneficiary-Led Individual House Construction (BLC):
Assistance for eligible families to construct new houses or enhance existing ones
Central assistance of ₹1.5 lakh per beneficiary
PMAY-G addresses the housing needs of rural houseless families or those living in kutcha houses.
As of 15 July 2024:
2.94 crore houses sanctioned
2.63 crore houses completed
Plain areas: 60% Central, 40% State
NE, HP, Uttarakhand, J&K: 90% Central, 10% State
Eligible:
Houseless families
Families living in 0, 1, or 2-room kutcha houses
Not Eligible:
Families owning pucca houses
Motorized vehicle or farm equipment owners
Those with high-income indicators (Kisan Credit Card > ₹50,000, tax payers)
Government employees, business owners, landline owners, refrigerator owners
Owners of large irrigated landholdings (2.5-7.5+ acres with irrigation)
SC/ST, manual scavengers, bonded laborers, primitive tribal groups
Houseless or destitute individuals
First-time homeowners benefit from ownership titles, particularly in the name of female family members, promoting gender empowerment.
Significant subsidies and construction grants help reduce the financial burden of acquiring or constructing homes.
Pucca homes under PMAY include:
Electricity
Clean drinking water
Sanitation
LPG connection
PMAY encourages formal settlement of slum dwellers, promoting safe and sanitary living conditions in urban areas.
Large-scale construction activity under PMAY boosts employment in the real estate and allied sectors.
Applicants must not own a pucca house and must fall under one of the income groups:
|
Category |
Income Range |
Housing Area (Carpet) |
|
EWS |
Up to ₹3 lakh |
Up to 30 sq. meters |
|
LIG |
₹3 - ₹6 lakh |
Up to 60 sq. meters |
|
MIG-I |
₹6 - ₹12 lakh |
Up to 160 sq. meters |
|
MIG-II |
₹12 - ₹18 lakh |
Up to 200 sq. meters |
Other eligibility conditions:
No previous housing subsidy from the Government
Priority given to women, SC/ST, minorities, senior citizens
Online Application Process:
Visit https://pmaymis.gov.in
Click on "Citizen Assessment" and select the applicable category
Enter Aadhaar details
Fill in the required details: name, income, current housing status, etc.
Submit the form and save the application number for future reference
Offline Option:
Visit Common Service Centers (CSCs) or urban local bodies with required documents
Offline Application Only:
Visit the Gram Panchayat or Village Sabha
Provide socio-economic details as per SECC data
Verification and validation by Panchayat officials
Eligible list published online and offline for transparency
Aadhaar Card (mandatory)
Identity proof (Voter ID, PAN card, Driving license)
Address proof
Income certificate
Caste certificate (if applicable)
Bank account details
Property documents or land records (if applicable)
Land acquisition and slum rehabilitation delays
Fund utilization inefficiencies at state levels
Beneficiary identification discrepancies
Inadequate private sector participation in smaller cities
Streamlining digital applications and monitoring
Promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)
Inclusion of climate-resilient infrastructure
Continuous upskilling of workers for modern construction techniques
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is not just about building homes-it's about uplifting lives, empowering women, integrating slum dwellers into the mainstream, and giving every Indian the dignity of owning a home. Whether in rural or urban India, PMAY is a step forward toward inclusive growth and improved quality of life. With continued focus and funding, it is poised to reshape the housing landscape of the country in the years to come.