- Why in news
- On 23 February 2026, the 6th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee meeting under PMAY-Urban 2.0 sanctioned 2,87,618 more houses. Total sanctions under the scheme now exceed 13.61 lakh.
- What it is
- PMAY-Urban 2.0 is the Centre's urban housing scheme under MoHUA. It continues the Housing for All mission begun in 2015 as PMAY-Urban. It aims to give affordable housing to EWS, LIG and MIG urban families through four verticals.
- Verticals
- The new sanctions came under Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) and Affordable Rental Housing (ARH). The scheme also has an interest subsidy vertical (ISS), which the release names.
- Who sanctions
- The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC), chaired by the MoHUA Secretary, approves projects. Its 6th meeting was held on 23 Feb 2026.
- Target groups
- The scheme serves EWS, LIG and MIG urban families.
- Rental housing
- ARH is a separate vertical for urban migrants, the homeless, industrial workers, working women, construction workers and other vulnerable groups.
- Demonstration projects
- Three Demonstration Housing Projects of 40 units each were approved in Chhattisgarh, Puducherry and Rajasthan to showcase modern, cost-effective construction.
- Women's ownership
- 96% of houses in BLC and ISS are in the name of the female head of the household or in joint ownership.
Don’t confuse with BLC vs AHP: BLC supports individuals building on their own land. AHP is for housing projects built in partnership with public or private agencies.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Gives secure housing to urban poor and middle-class families, aiding health, education and livelihood access.
- Women's ownership and the rental vertical widen inclusion for migrants and workers.
Problems
- Sanctions are not completions: the earlier PMAY-U has about 97 lakh houses delivered against 122.50 lakh sanctioned.
- Slow approvals and weak monitoring in States delay delivery, as the Mission Director noted.
Way forward
- Speed up approvals and strengthen monitoring by States/UTs.
- Site affordable housing within cities and near mass transit, and replicate best practices.
Put in your answer
Women's ownership: 96% of BLC and ISS houses under PMAY-U 2.0 are in the name of a woman or in joint ownership.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Schemes are 16% of news-linked Prelims questions, but this is a routine sanction update; the scheme is worth reading, not a likely fresh question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.