PMAY Special Focus Groups: Who Gets Priority Under PMAY-U 2.0?

• Priority groups: Widows (overriding priority), single women, persons with disabilities, SC/ST/OBC, minorities, transgender persons
• Occupational focus groups: Safai Karmi, street vendors (PM SVANidhi), PM Vishwakarma artisans, anganwadi workers, building and construction workers, slum/chawl residents
• Female ownership: Mandatory — house must be in female head's name or joint ownership
• Houses approved for women (as of March 2025 CSMC): Over 2.67 lakh houses including single women and widows
• Transgender allotments (CSMC 1st meeting): 90 houses specifically allotted
• SC beneficiaries sanctioned: 80,850 | ST beneficiaries: 15,928 | OBC beneficiaries: 2,12,603

PMAY-U 2.0 organises priority into two distinct tiers:

Tier 1 — Preference groups (identity-based): These are groups that receive explicit preference in beneficiary selection at the ULB and state level:

• Women — with overriding priority to widows
• Single women
• Persons with disabilities
• Senior citizens (with state-level enhancements in some states, e.g. UP gives additional ₹30,000 to beneficiaries aged 70+)
• SC (Scheduled Castes)
• ST (Scheduled Tribes)
• OBC (Other Backward Classes)
• Minorities
• Transgender persons

Tier 2 — Special focus occupational groups: These are groups identified during the demand survey operation based on their occupation and economic vulnerability:

• Safai Karmi (sanitation workers)
• Street vendors identified under PM SVANidhi (PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) scheme
• Artisans and craftspersons under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana
• Anganwadi workers
• Building and other construction workers (registered under BOCW Act)
• Residents of slums and chawls

The prioritisation reflects the reality of urban housing deprivation — the groups most likely to be in acute housing need are those with limited incomes, social marginalisation, or occupational vulnerability.

Widows and single women: Women heading households without a male earning member face the highest housing insecurity in Indian cities. The overriding priority for widows ensures the most vulnerable women receive first access to PMAY-U 2.0 benefits.

Persons with disabilities: Accessible housing is disproportionately unavailable in private rental markets. Government-assisted housing under PMAY-U 2.0 allows disability-appropriate specifications to be incorporated during construction.

SC/ST/OBC and Minorities: These communities are statistically overrepresented in urban slums and informal settlements — making them the primary target population for the scheme's slum rehabilitation and affordable housing verticals.

Transgender persons: Transgender individuals face severe housing discrimination in private rental markets. The explicit inclusion as a focus group and specific allotments (90 houses in the first CSMC sanction) reflect a commitment to trans-inclusive housing policy.

Safai Karmi: Sanitation workers in Indian cities typically live in temporary or sub-standard housing near their work areas. PMAY-U 2.0 includes them explicitly, and TNHB in Tamil Nadu has a separate 30,000-home scheme for sanitation workers.

Street vendors: Identified through the PM SVANidhi scheme database, street vendors are urban informal sector workers who typically lack access to formal housing markets due to absence of income proof and formal employment records.

PM Vishwakarma artisans: Traditional craftspersons registered under PM Vishwakarma Yojana — carpenters, blacksmiths, potters, cobblers, and others — are specifically included as a focus occupational group.

Construction workers: Building and construction workers registered under the BOCW (Building and Other Construction Workers) Act 1996 are explicitly included — a recognition that the workers who build India's homes often cannot afford one themselves.

PMAY-U 2.0 mandates that ownership of houses built under the scheme must be in the name of the female head of the household, or in joint ownership with the male member. This applies across all four verticals.

This provision:

• Gives women formal property rights
• Prevents families from bypassing the female ownership requirement through male-only title
• Creates a legal record of female land ownership that can be used for future credit access

The first CSMC meeting under PMAY-U 2.0 (March 2025) approved over 3.52 lakh houses. The breakdown shows focus group targeting in practice:

UP-specific state enhancement: ₹30,000 additional assistance for beneficiaries aged 70+; ₹20,000 for unmarried women above 40, widows, and separated women.

The PMAY-U 2.0 demand survey specifically requires cities to include all special focus groups. During the survey:

1. ULB field workers enumerate households in slums, chawls, and informal areas
2. Self-declaration on the PMAY-U 2.0 portal allows individuals to apply and declare their category
3. Safai Karmi, SVANidhi street vendors, and PM Vishwakarma artisans are identified through existing government databases
4. BOCW-registered construction workers are identified through state labour department records
5. Aadhaar-based verification confirms identity and prevents duplication

PMAY-U 2.0's ISS vertical extends benefits to all eligible groups — including focus groups — who take home loans. If you belong to any focus or preference group and meet the income and pucca house eligibility criteria, a home loan qualifies for the ₹1.80 lakh interest subsidy.

Bajaj Finance Home Loans are available to all eligible PMAY-U 2.0 beneficiaries, with rates from 7.25% p.a.*, amounts up to Rs. 15 Crore*, and tenure up to 32 years.

Check your home loan eligibility and apply today.