What Is NAVARITIH? Innovative Housing Technology Initiative Under PMAY

• Full form: New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing
• Managed by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under PMAY-U
• Developed with: School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, and BMTPC
• Purpose: Familiarise construction professionals with innovative, sustainable building materials and technologies for affordable housing
• Participants as of March 2024: 1,123 participants across 17 batches
• Target audience: Faculty and students, technical professionals, start-ups, entrepreneurs, government officials
• Connected initiative: Technograhis programme, Light House Projects (LHPs), Demonstration Housing Projects (DHPs)

NAVARITIH is MoHUA's structured professional development initiative to mainstream innovative construction technologies for affordable housing across India. The programme addresses a fundamental bottleneck in PMAY-U's implementation: most construction practitioners in India work with traditional technologies (brick-mortar, RCC), and are unfamiliar with newer, faster, and more sustainable methods that could dramatically accelerate housing delivery.

By training professionals in globally proven construction technologies, NAVARITIH aims to create a talent pool that can implement PMAY-U projects using faster construction methods — helping achieve the 1 crore housing target within the implementation period.

The course covers:

• Latest building materials and technologies used worldwide for affordable housing
• Properties, specifications, and performance of new materials
• Design and construction methodologies for innovative housing systems
• Sustainability, energy efficiency, and disaster resilience in construction
• State-of-the-art materials for different geo-climatic zones of India

MoHUA coined the term "Technograhis" — a portmanteau of "technology" and "griha" (home in Sanskrit) — to describe the community of learners and practitioners engaged with innovative housing construction technologies.

Technograhis include:

• Faculty and students of IITs, NITs, engineering colleges, and planning and architecture colleges
• Technical professionals in private and public sector construction
• Central, state, and ULB government officials involved in PMAY implementation
• Start-ups, innovators, and entrepreneurs working on housing technology
• BOCW-registered construction workers learning new construction methods

As of March 2024, approximately 40,000 Technograhis were enrolled across 6 Light House Projects (LHP) sites. The programme uses a combination of in-person site visits, online webinars, and certificate courses.

Light House Projects are full-scale demonstration housing projects built under PMAY-U using innovative construction technologies. Each LHP typically has around 1,000 dwelling units, built using a specific technology that can be observed and learned by Technograhis visiting the site.

Completed LHPs (as of 2024):

Additionally, Demonstration Housing Projects (DHPs) — smaller 40-unit clusters — are operational in Ahmedabad, Agartala, Ayodhya, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Biharsharif, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Nellore, Panchkula, and Tirupppur. DHPs in Dimapur, Guwahati, and Jammu are in advanced construction stages.

MoHUA has conducted 12 webcasting sessions at LHP sites under NAVARITIH, attended by professionals across the country. These webinars are specifically targeted at disseminating knowledge about:

• Construction processes at LHP sites
• Sustainability features of each technology
• Mass-cum-fast construction capabilities
• How to replicate the technologies in new housing projects

The webinars and LHP visit sessions are free to attend for enrolled Technograhis. Registration for the Technograhi programme is done through MoHUA's dedicated online enrolment module.

Alongside NAVARITIH, MoHUA runs RACHNA (Resilient Affordable Comfortable Housing through National Action) — a series of training programmes on Innovative Construction Technologies and Thermal Comfort for Affordable Housing. RACHNA focuses specifically on thermal comfort standards in affordable housing and how innovative construction technologies can meet climate-appropriate building performance requirements across India's diverse geo-climatic zones.

PMAY-U 2.0 sets a target of 1 crore houses by 2029. Achieving this in 5 years requires construction to proceed at a scale and pace that traditional brick-mortar methods alone cannot deliver across all cities. Innovative technologies like precast concrete, tunnel formwork, and light gauge steel framing can reduce construction time by 30–50% compared to conventional methods.

The Technology Innovation Grant (TIG) in PMAY-U 2.0 specifically incentivises the use of innovative construction technologies:

• Standard TIG: ₹1,000 per sq m for innovative technologies
• Enhanced TIG: Central TIG ₹3,000/sq m + State grant ₹2,000/sq m for the most advanced technologies

The NAVARITIH programme ensures there are enough trained professionals to actually implement these technologies in PMAY projects across India's 5,494+ covered cities.

NAVARITIH-trained technologies produce certified PMAY-U 2.0 houses that are eligible for all scheme benefits — including the ISS (Interest Subsidy Scheme) home loan subsidy of ₹1.80 lakh. Houses built using LHP or innovative construction technologies at PMAY projects are standard dwellings for financing purposes.

Bajaj Finance Home Loans offer competitive rates from 7.25% p.a.*, amounts up to Rs. 15 Crore*, and tenure up to 32 years, for buyers purchasing or financing PMAY-eligible homes.

Check your home loan eligibility today.