New Delhi, May 28 (IANS). Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday issued ‘Principal Sanction’ of Rs 10,021.42 crore to 12 states under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), a historic step towards realizing the goal of ‘Housing for All’ by March 2029.
This approval was issued through video conferencing to the states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing the program, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that against the target of 4.95 crore houses under the scheme, approval has already been given for 3.91 crore houses and construction of more than 3.05 crore houses has been completed.
Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, said that approval of Rs 11,121 crore has already been issued for the financial year 2026-27 and now additional approval of more than Rs 10,021 crore has also been issued.
He further said that the housing target for the current year is three times more than that of the previous year and it will be achieved in a time bound manner with the coordinated efforts of the Center and the States.
The Union Minister said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to ensure that no poor person in the country lives in a kutcha house. Keeping this thinking in mind, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin was launched in 2016.”
“Life becomes easy when the house is good. We are not just building houses, but houses equipped with basic amenities like roads, electricity, drinking water, LPG connections and toilets etc,” he said.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also appreciated the innovations being made by the states. He said that many states have taken monsoon initiatives, such as helplines, grievance redressal systems, rain water harvesting, livelihood promotion through self-help groups and mason training programmes, which have accelerated the achievement of the objectives of the scheme.
On women empowerment, the Minister said that about 75 per cent of the houses sanctioned under PMAY-G are either in the name of women or in joint ownership, thereby strengthening the dignity, self-respect and social security of women.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan further said that in cases where poor families do not have land, housing construction gets affected. He urged the states to take special initiative to provide land to such plants and ensure necessary support.
He also called upon the States to ensure timely settlement of allotment restrictions, expedite construction of consolidated houses and ensure prompt utilization of sanctioned completions.
He further said that some States have still not completed the target based process for their 2024-25 and 2025-26 and urged them to complete the process by June 30, 2026.
The Minister appealed to every beneficiary of the PMAY-G scheme to plant at least one sapling under the ‘One Tree in the Name of Mother’ campaign on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5.
–IANS
SAK/DKP
