Centre approves construction of 1.07 lakh houses in 5 states under PMAY(U)

The Union government has approved the construction of 1.07 lakh houses in five states, including Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), according to a statement on Friday. The approval was given on Thursday by the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) chaired by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra.

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said project proposals for 1.07 lakh houses were approved for construction from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, and Uttarakhand under various verticals of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

According to the statement, the secretary also reviewed the progress of implementation of PMAY-U in other states.

The ministry said the total number of sanctioned houses under the mission is now 1.14 crore, of which around 91 lakh have been grounded for construction and more than 53 lakh have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.

The total investment under the mission is Rs 7.52 lakh crore with central assistance of Rs 1.85 lakh crore. So far, central assistance amounting to Rs 1.14 lakh crore has already been released, it said.

The Housing and Urban Affairs secretary directed the states and Union territories to expedite the construction of houses, adding that grounding should be the first responsibility of states and UTs.

"States and UTs should also declare saturation of demand city by city," the ministry's statement quoted Mishra as saying.

He reviewed the progress of Light House Projects in Chennai, Indore, Rajkot, Ranchi, Agartala, and Lucknow and directed officials to complete the construction work within the stipulated time period, the statement added.