The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) was launched on 25th June 2015 with the vision of providing affordable housing for every family in urban areas. The initial target was to ensure that every eligible household had a pucca home by 2022. Central assistance is offered to States, Union Territories, and Central Nodal Agencies to support the construction of houses based on verified housing demand—around 1.12 crore homes.
As per the PMAY-U guidelines, houses built for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) may have a carpet area of up to 30 square metres. However, State governments and Union Territories have the liberty to increase this size with the Ministry's consent. To promote women’s empowerment, it is mandatory for the female head of the household to be either the sole or joint owner of the house under this scheme. PMAY-U offers four different verticals to meet diverse needs based on income levels, funding access, and land availability.
Latest updates and news on Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Budget 2026 trims PM Awas-Rural FY26 revised estimate by Rs. 3,332 crore, but keeps FY27 outlay strong
The Union Budget 2026–27 shows mixed signals for the government’s main housing mission, with tighter spending for rural housing mid-year while maintaining steady support for the renewed urban programme.
PMAY–Rural
Budget records show that actual spending in 2024–25 was Rs. 32,327 crore, which then jumped sharply to Rs. 54,832 crore in the Revised Estimate for 2025–26 as funds were released faster during the year.
For 2026–27, the Budget Estimate has been set at Rs. 32,500 crore, lower than the earlier Rs. 35,832 crore for FY26, effectively trimming around Rs. 3.7 thousand crore — a concern also raised by Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister.
However, officials suggest that actual spending may rise later in the year, with a possible revised envelope of about Rs. 54,917 crore, following past trends of mid-year increases.
PMAY–Urban 2.0
The new urban version has so far seen slow utilisation, with only Rs. 50 crore spent in 2024–25 compared with a planned Rs. 3,500 crore for 2025–26.
The 2025–26 Revised Estimate has been cut to Rs. 300 crore, while Rs. 3,000 crore is budgeted for 2026–27, indicating steady but cautious implementation.
Wider housing allocations
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has received a total allocation of Rs. 85,522.39 crore for 2026–27, including Rs. 900 crore for the PM SVANidhi scheme, a notable rise from the previous year.
Across both earlier phases of PMAY (Urban), the budget provides Rs. 18,625 crore — Rs. 6,000 crore for Phase I and Rs. 12,625.05 crore for Phase II.
Industry expert Samarth Setia welcomed higher urban funding and new risk-guarantee measures but cautioned that high property prices still limit affordability, calling for better digital land records to improve transparency.
PMAY Scheme - HFA (Urban) – Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 guidelines
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) has made strong progress in improving access to affordable housing across Indian cities. So far, around 95.51 lakh pucca houses have been completed and handed over to eligible beneficiaries under the scheme. With the growing need for affordable homes in urban areas, especially among lower- and middle-income families, the Government introduced an updated version known as PMAY-U 2.0 in September 2024.
Under PMAY-U and the new PMAY-U 2.0 combined, nearly 122 lakh houses have already been approved. The revised scheme aims to support an additional 1 crore urban families by helping them either build a new pucca house or buy one. To make this possible, the Government is offering financial assistance of up to Rs. 2.50 lakh per eligible family.
PMAY-U 2.0 covers families from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG), and Middle-Income Group (MIG). Applicants must not own a pucca house anywhere in India, and their annual household income should be up to Rs. 9 lakh to qualify for the benefits.
The scheme is carried out through four main components: Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH), and the Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS). Interested applicants can apply online through the official PMAY Urban website or seek guidance from their local Urban Local Body (ULB) for offline support.
Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry approves construction of 3.52 lakh houses in 10 states and UTs
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has recently approved the construction of over 3.52 lakh houses under PMAY-U 2.0. This decision was finalised during a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC), chaired by Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Srinivas Katikithala. The approval covers homes under both the Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) verticals of the scheme.
The approved housing projects span across 10 States and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. These projects aim to push forward the mission's objective of inclusive urban housing and to further reduce the gap in urban housing shortages. With continued government efforts, PMAY-U is steadily moving towards ensuring dignified living spaces for economically weaker and low-income urban families.