Prayagraj, March 25 Santosh Mehta, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, never imagined owning a permanent home. However, thanks to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), her dream has turned into a reality.
The scheme is proving to be a lifeline for many poor families, offering them the opportunity to own their homes and contributing to the fight against poverty in the country.
IANS spoke to the happy beneficiary from Prayagraj.
Mehta, the beneficiary of PMAY, said: "We used to live in rented homes, sometimes here, sometimes there. At one point, we even stayed at our daughter’s house. Today, thanks to (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) Modi Ji, we have our own house and a roof over our heads. At my age, I never expected this to happen. With the grace of Modi Ji, we now have a secure place to live. I am truly grateful for his schemes, and I also thank (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) Yogi Ji for his support."
The PMAY, launched on June 25, 2015, is a flagship initiative aimed at providing housing for all in urban areas. It extends central assistance to states and Union Territories to construct homes for eligible families, targeting the construction of 1.12 crore houses.
While the minimum size for a house under PMAY is set at 30 square metres, states have the flexibility to modify it based on local requirements.
Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) approved the construction of over 3.53 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0). The decision was taken during the first meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC), chaired by MoHUA Secretary Srinivas Katikithala.
According to the ministry, a total of 3,52,915 houses have been sanctioned under the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) components. These houses will be built across ten states and Union Territories - Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The scheme emphasises women’s empowerment, with over 2.67 lakh houses approved specifically for women beneficiaries, including single women and widows. Additionally, 90 houses have been allocated to transgender individuals. The approved list also includes 80,850 houses for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries, 15,928 for Scheduled Tribes, and 2,12,603 for Other Backward Classes, aiming to promote inclusivity across underprivileged groups.
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