Urban Affairs Ministry to revamp affordable housing scheme

• The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) would be revamped with new features

Highlights:

• The PMAY (Urban), launched in 2015, has been given an extension till December 2024.
• The mission aims to address urban housing shortage among the poor and middle-income groups, including slum dwellers, by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households.
• The revamp would focus on ensuring that there are no delays on reaching out to beneficiaries who have signed up for the scheme.
• The Ministry had also announced a scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2023-24 and 2022-23 and for improving and speeding up basic urban planning ecosystems in the cities by incentivising the States.
• Both the schemes among other things also incentivised States for creating an enabling ecosystem for affordable housing for built up area up to 66 sq m through favourable bye-laws and adoption of enabling policy by the States.
• Under the scheme, the States have reported that through the enabling provisions under their affordable housing policy, approximately 5,00,000 dwelling units have been constructed in the last four to five years
• Further, under urban planning reforms, projects for in-situ slum rehabilitation have also been incentivised.

Prelims Takeaway

• PMAY
• Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment