New Delhi: Gujarat is far ahead of other States in construction of affordable houses for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on June 25, 2015. In Gujarat, 25,873 houses have so far been built for the benefit of urban poor accounting for 32% of the total 82,048 such houses built under PMAY(Urban) in 30 States and Union Territories.

According to the written information furnished by Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu in reply to a Starred Question in Rajya Sabha today, Gujarat is followed by Rajasthan with 10,805 houses constructed so far (13.17% of total), Karnataka-10,447 (12.70%), Tamil Nadu- 6,940 (8.00%), Maharashtra-5,506 (6.70%), Uttar Pradesh-3,822 (4.65%), Madhya Pradesh-2,666 (3.%), Bihar-2,409 (2.90%), Jammu & Kashmir-1,986 (2.42%) and Andhra Pradesh -1,650 houses accounting for 2% of the total houses so far built.

City-wise, Ahmadabad led others with construction of 10,183 followed by Jaipur-7,434, Surat-5,216, Rajkot-3,817, Bengaluru-3,428, Vadodara-1,665, Gaya-1,334, Tumkur(Karnataka)-1,286, Chennai-1,279, Gulbaraga(Karnataka)-1,203, Jamnagar(Gujarat)-1,111,  Dhanbad-1,156, Visakhapatnam-1,094,Alwar(Rajasthan)-883 and Rai Bareli (UP)-802.

Under PMAY(Urban), beneficiaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections. Low Income Groups and Middle Income Groups under the components of In-Situ Slum Redevelopment, Affordable Housing in Partnership, Beneficiary Led Construction and Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme.

Central assistance of up to Rs.1.00 lakh is provided for each dwelling unit to be built for the benefit of slum dwellers using land as resource there by slum dwellers getting new pucca houses free of cost. Central assistance of Rs.1.50 lakh per each beneficiary is provided under AHP and BLC components while interest subsidy of 6.50% is extended under CLSS for LIG and interest subsidy of 3% and 4% under recently announced CLSS for Middle Income Groups.

During the last three years, 3.55 lakh affordable houses have been constructed for urban poor including those sanctioned under JNNURM prior to March,  2014.-WTN