Introduction
In 2015, the Indian government introduced the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to provide affordable housing to all citizens by 2022. Through this credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS), the government aimed to provide its beneficiaries an interest subsidy to avail loans to purchase or build a house. The scheme was launched to aid the middle-income community, economically weaker sections (EWS) and low-income groups (LIG). Depending on the areas it serves, the scheme is divided into two sections, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural).
- Introduced in 2016, PMAY-U aimed to provide ‘Housing for All by 2022’ by establishing 1.12 crore houses for urban poor across the country over the next seven years (between 2015 and 2022).
- Launched in November 2016, PMAY-G was designed to support ‘Housing for All by 2022 by building 2.95 crore houses for rural poor across the country by 2022.
Need for PMAY
Over the past few decades, the significant rise in Indian population and income has resulted in higher housing demands. Despite the government’s efforts to meet the rising demand by introducing numerous public housing programmes (e.g., Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, 2005), there has been a shortage in housing. As per the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), 2011, ~40 million Indian households were estimated as homeless or living in inadequate or congested housing or without basic facilities and with shortage of housing. Further, between 2012 and 2019, the average real housing prices increased faster than GDP per capita, hampering housing affordability, especially for low-income households.
To ensure affordable housing is available to all, in 2015, the government set a target to build affordable houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMJAY) and achieve ‘housing for all’ by 2022.
The government also integrated other central and state/UT schemes for the overall welfare of households by providing LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme; electricity connections and safe drinking water access under the Jal Jeevan Mission; support unskilled labour wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), etc.
Therefore, the government’s continuous efforts are driving the overall development of the scheme and helping households avail affordable housing with ease.
Key Beneficiaries and Initiatives
Key beneficiaries under the PMAY initiative are as follows:
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Categories |
Description |
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Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) |
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Low-Income Groups (LIG) |
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Middle-Income Groups (MIG) |
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Minorities |
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Key initiatives
Key initiatives under PMAY-U and PMAY-G are as follows:
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
The following three key schemes under PMAY-U are:
|
Key Schemes |
Description |
Subsidy |
|
In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) |
Slum Redevelopment using land as a resource with private participation |
Central Assistance of Rs. 1 lakh (US$ 1,196) per house is admissible for all houses built for eligible slum dwellers under the component of ISSR using land as Resource with participation of private developers. |
|
Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) |
Create affordable housing for EWS and LIG |
A loan of up to Rs. 9 lakh (US$ 11,940) at 4% discount rate or a loan of up to Rs. 12 lakh (US$ 15,920) at 3% discount rate |
|
Affordable Housing Projects (AHP/PDD) |
Collaborate with a private or public developer to develop affordable housing systems |
Rs. 2.50 lakh (US$ 3,320) |
|
Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) |
Grant loans to individuals under EWS to build a house |
Rs. 2.50 lakh (US$ 3,320) |
- To benefit 2.5 lakh middle-income families in FY21, in May 2020, the government extended CLSS for MIG under PMAY-U, leading to an investment of > Rs. 70,000 crore (US$ 9.32 billion) in the housing sector.
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural)
- From FY19 to FY23, approximately Rs. 1,60,853.38 crore (US$ 19.30 billion) was released as the Central Share of funds to States/UTs for house construction under PMAY-G. The total utilization of funds by States/UTs, including their respective shares, amounted to Rs. 2,39,334.02 crore (US$ 28.72 billion).
- Since its inception on April 1, 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) aimed to assist rural households by constructing 2.95 crore pucca houses with basic amenities by March 2024. As of February 1, 2024, States/UTs have sanctioned over 2.94 crore houses.
- Under this scheme, each beneficiary living in plain areas will receive a 100% grant of Rs. 1.20 lakh (US$ 1,600), while each beneficiary located in hilly states, Northeastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will receive a 100% grant of Rs. 1.30 lakh (US$ 1,730).
- In January 2021, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the government authorised construction of >1.68 lakh houses in urban areas, bringing the total number of approved houses to 1.1 crore (11 million).
- In January 2021, under the PMAY-G, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced to provide financial assistance worth US$ 358.31 million (Rs. 2,691 crore) to 6.1 lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh.
- As of April 2021, 1.37 crore houses have been built across the country under the scheme.
Progress of PMAY:
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)
|
Construction of Houses |
As of October, 2025 |
|
Demand |
112.24 lakh |
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Sanctioned |
119.31 lakh |
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Grounded |
112.98 lakh |
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Completed |
93.81 lakh |
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Investment Approved |
Rs. 8.16 lakh crore (US$ 92.78 billion) |
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural)
|
Construction of Houses |
As of April, 2025 |
|
MoRD Target |
4,14,53,959 |
|
Registered |
3,96,30,001 |
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Sanctioned |
3,85,85,224 |
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Completed |
2,88,76,650 |
|
Fund transferred |
Rs. 3,91,602.63 crore (US$ 44.53 billion) |
Budget allocation & highlights
- The Union Government is ramping up affordable housing efforts under the Union Budget 2025-26, focusing on both urban and rural segments, with significant allocations and new schemes introduced for FY26:
- PMAY-Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0):
- Announced in August 2024 and launched from September 1, 2024 for five years, targeting the construction of 1 crore houses for low-to-middle income groups.
- Budget allocation of Rs. 3,500 crore (US$ 409.7 million) for FY26, a major rise from the Rs. 1,500 crore (US$ 175.6 billion) revised estimate for FY25.
- Original PMAY (Urban + Gramin):
- Allocation of Rs. 19,794 crore (US$ 2.32 billion) for FY26, though lower than the Rs. 30,171 crore initially budgeted for FY25.
- Revised spending for PMAY-Urban in FY25 stands at Rs. 13,670 crore (US$ 1.60 billion).
- PMAY-Gramin (Rural Housing):
- Continued strong support with Rs. 54,232 crore (US$ 6.35 billion) allocated for FY26.
- New Rental Housing Scheme for Industrial Workers:
- First-time allocation of Rs. 2,500 crore (US$ 292.6 million) for a rental housing scheme (announced in 2024).
- To be executed via a Centre-State-private partnership, with 20% viability gap funding from Centre and State each, and the rest by private entities.
- Urban Challenge Fund:
- First tranche of Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.17 billion) allocated under the newly launched Rs. 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund.
- The Centre to fund up to 25% of bankable urban projects, with the rest financed via bonds, loans, or PPPs.
- PMAY-Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0):
Key developments:
- The campaign “Angikaar 2025” was launched on 17 September 2025 to fast-track verification, sanction and completion of housing under PMAY-U 2.0 via door-to-door drives, housing camps and awareness activities across over 5,000 Urban Local Bodies. Under this campaign, an additional 1.47 lakh pucca houses have been sanctioned across 14 States/UTs, bringing the total sanctioned under PMAY-U 2.0 to 8.56 lakh units.
- Special focus has been placed on inclusion of marginalised groups, as of August 2025, 32,551 houses for Scheduled Castes, 5,025 for Scheduled Tribes, 58,375 for Other Backward Classes, and 75,417 units in the names of women (single/widow) have been sanctioned.
- On March 21, 2025, the Government announced the expansion of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for FY25 to FY29, aiming to construct two crore additional rural houses with a total outlay of Rs. 3.06 lakh crore (US$ 46.35 billion).
- Since its inception on April 01, 2016, the scheme has provided unit assistance of Rs. 1.20 lakh in plain areas and Rs. 1.30 lakh (US$ 1,522.65) in hilly/Northeastern regions, with Centre-State funding ratios of 90:10 for Himalayan/Northeastern Region (NER) States, 60:40 for others, and 100% for UTs without legislatures; beneficiaries also receive 90–95 man-days of unskilled labour under MGNREGS and Rs. 12,000 for toilets via SBM-G or other sources, with a total central share of Rs. 2.49 lakh crore (US$ 29.15 billion) released till date.
- To increase the number of green buildings in affordable housing projects in India, the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council, in March 2021, collaborated with Housing Finance Limited (IFL-HFL) to establish an ecosystem for green affordable housing projects.
- To boost the affordable housing and rental housing segment, in the Union Budget 2021-22, the government extended the duration for extra deductions of US$ 2,000 (Rs. 1.5 lakh) available for loans until March 31, 2022.
- Tax deductions will go a long way in allowing developers to accomplish ongoing projects (affordable housing) and thereby, ease the liquidity crunch.
- Further, one-year extension of tax deductions for affordable housing developments will help bring in new supply in the sector.
- In February 2021, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) announced plans to complete 7,500 houses for EWS under the PMAY-U by December 2021. This land-owning agency is planning to redevelop 376 clusters through a public-private partnership (PPP).
- In January 2021, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) announced to build 10,000 affordable homes for EWS and LIG. These houses will be constructed through a public-private partnership (PPP) model under the PMAY.
- In December 2020, Fincare Small Finance Bank (FSFB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Housing Bank to promote credit linked subsidies for qualifying borrowers.
The Road Ahead
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has made significant progress since its launch in 2015. The Economic Survey 2020-21 indicated that the Indian government is getting closer to achieve its housing goals for all by 2022; further highlighted that 90% urban households and ~78% rural households possess homes that were constructed with simple building materials (e.g., wood, cement, metals, bricks, concrete, etc.).
The scheme has had a tremendous influence on other sectors of the economy, resulting in a multiplier effect in terms of generating employment in ~30 occupational categories (e.g., plumbing, masonry, carpentry, etc.). In addition, PMAY-U’s forward and backward linkages created employment for ~1.65 million people in 2020.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, through its programs, addresses various issues. The Technology Sub-Mission (TSM) under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) Mission promotes the use of innovative, sustainable, and disaster-resistant technologies for affordable housing construction.
The rural housing program called Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is almost done building 3 crore houses. Now, there's a plan to build 2 crores more houses in the next five years.
To further develop the mission, in the budgeted outlay for capital expenditure in FY25, the government increased the capex by 11.1% YoY, with a particular focus on railways, highways, urban transportation, electricity, telecom, textiles and affordable housing. With the government’s continuous effort to establish affordable houses, along with integrating PMAY with other schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, MGNREGS, etc.), India is progressing well on its path to enable ‘affordable housing for all’.
