Written by AI Powered PMC Akbar Jiwani, Special Correspondent: Real Estate, for Realnewsofindia.com
NEW DELHI, 22 October 2026: In a fresh push for affordable housing in urban India, the Centre has approved more than 1.93 lakh additional houses across 11 states under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0. With this, the cumulative sanctions under the scheme have reached 20.80 lakh houses.
The approvals were cleared at the 10th meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) held in New Delhi on 16 October 2026. The meeting was chaired by Satendra Singh, Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
UTTAR PRADESH AND BIHAR LEAD
Uttar Pradesh received the largest share of the new sanctions with 73,182 houses, followed by Bihar with 52,866. Other states in the latest round include:
– Telangana: 18,120
– West Bengal: 16,559
– Gujarat: 14,290
– Andhra Pradesh: 6,560
– Chhattisgarh: 4,670
– Odisha: 3,126
– Karnataka: 3,116
– Mizoram: 1,003
– Sikkim: 29
The new approvals fall under two verticals of the scheme: Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP).
WOMEN AND VULNERABLE GROUPS AT THE CENTRE
Around 20.16 lakh houses, about 97 per cent of those sanctioned under PMAY-U 2.0, have been allotted to women, either individually or jointly. By social category, sanctions include 1.81 lakh houses for senior citizens, 3.61 lakh for Scheduled Castes, 1.06 lakh for Scheduled Tribes and 9.14 lakh for Other Backward Classes.
Taking the original PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0 together, more than 1.27 crore houses have been sanctioned so far, of which about 1.01 crore have been completed.
WHAT THE SCHEME OFFERS
Launched in September 2024, PMAY-U 2.0 provides central assistance of up to Rs 2.50 lakh per eligible family to construct or buy a permanent house. It covers economically weaker section (EWS), lower income group (LIG) and middle income group (MIG) households with annual income up to Rs 9 lakh. Under the Interest Subsidy Scheme, eligible families can receive a subsidy of up to Rs 1.80 lakh on home loans of up to Rs 25 lakh.
FOCUS ON COMPLETION AND OCCUPANCY
The committee stressed faster approvals, tighter monitoring and better coordination among the Ministry, states, Union Territories and Urban Local Bodies. States and UTs were urged to expedite the completion and occupancy of approved houses and to submit complete and accurate proposals in line with scheme guidelines. Special emphasis was laid on prompt occupancy of completed AHP houses.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR REAL ESTATE
The sanctions come as the private housing market shows steady momentum. According to Anarock data released on 28 September 2026, housing sales in the top seven cities rose 3 per cent year-on-year to about 1,00,220 units in July-September 2026, while new launches jumped 18 per cent to about 1,14,320 units. Unsold inventory stands at roughly 6.31 lakh units and average prices are up about 7 per cent. With the festive season under way, analysts expect demand to stay supported.
Against this backdrop, the large-scale government-backed affordable housing pipeline, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at the forefront, is expected to generate construction activity, employment and demand for building materials, while widening the formal housing market for first-time homebuyers.
