♦ The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved the construction of over 3.53 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0).

♦ 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 emphasizes 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.

♦ PMAY-U 2.0, launched in September 2024, is currently under implementation, with Memorandums of Agreement signed between the Ministry and 31 states and union territories. The scheme is set to benefit one crore urban poor and middle-class families over five years. Implementation is being carried out through four verticals—Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH), and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS).