Centre okays construction of 3.61L houses under PMAY-U

New Delhi: Aiming to revive the real estate sector hit severely due to Covid-19, the Centre has approved the construction of 3.61 lakh new houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U). The decision was taken in the 54th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) under PMAY-U held in the national capital on Tuesday.

According to the press statement by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the meeting was attended by 13 states/UTs. These houses are proposed to be constructed across "Beneficiary Led Construction and Affordable Housing in Partnership verticals".

In addition, 'PMAY- U Awards 2021 - 100 days challenge' was also launched by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

"The awards are given to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution and performances by states, Union Territories (UTs), urban local bodies (ULBs) and beneficiaries for successful implementation of the mission and create a healthy competition," the ministry said in its statement.

This was the first CSMC meeting during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the meeting, the secretary said, "The demand for sanction has saturated in all states/UTs. Utilisation of unused funds and ensuring completion of the projects within the stipulated time is our prime focus now."

The states/UTs also put in their proposals for revision of projects due to various issues such as, of land, topographical hazards, inter-city migration, change of preferences of verticals and loss of lives.