Secretary, MoHUA chairs 6th meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee under PMAY-Urban 2.0

1. At a Glance

• PMAY-U 2.0 is the flagship urban housing mission of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2024 to provide pucca houses to 1 crore EWS/LIG/MIG urban families over 5 years [2].
• The 6th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) meeting on 23 Feb 2026 sanctioned 2.88 lakh additional houses, taking cumulative sanctions to 13.61 lakh [1].
• Relevance: tests scheme architecture (4 verticals), Centre-State financing, gender targeting and urban migrant rental housing [1][2].

2. Why in the News

• 6th CSMC meeting (23 Feb 2026) chaired by Shri Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary MoHUA in New Delhi [1].
• Approved 2.88 lakh new houses across 16 States/UTs, of which 96% allotted to women under PMAY-U 2.0 overall; 1.60 lakh of fresh sanctions to women incl. widows/separated/unmarried [1].
• Sanctioned >12,800 Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) units (specifically 12,846) for migrants, working women and urban poor [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• PMAY-Urban 1.0 launched 25 June 2015; revised PMAY-U 2.0 approved by Cabinet on 9 Aug 2024 [2].
• PMAY-U 2.0 operational from 1 Sept 2024, duration 5 years (2024-29) [2].
• Successor builds in Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) as new vertical, drawing from the 2020 COVID-era ARHC scheme experience [2].

4. Core Static Facts

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) [1].
• Target: 1 crore urban poor / middle-class families in 5 years [2].
• Total outlay: Government assistance ₹2.30 lakh crore; Central assistance ₹1.50 lakh crore [2].
• Four Verticals:
• BLC – Beneficiary-Led Construction (₹2.50 lakh/unit central+state) [2].
• AHP – Affordable Housing in Partnership (₹2.50 lakh/unit) [2].
• ARH – Affordable Rental Housing (new) [1][2].

• ISS – Interest Subsidy Scheme: 4% subsidy on loans up to ₹25 lakh, max ₹1.80 lakh in 5 yearly instalments [2].

• Income eligibility: EWS ≤ ₹3 lakh; LIG ₹3–6 lakh; MIG ₹6–9 lakh [2].

• 6th CSMC split: BLC – 1.66 lakh; AHP – 1.09 lakh; ARH – 12,846 [1].
• 16 States/UTs covered in 6th CSMC: AP, Arunachal, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, J&K, Punjab, Puducherry, Rajasthan, TN, Telangana, Maharashtra, MP, Nagaland, Odisha, UP, WB [1].

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Social / Gender

• 96% of houses under PMAY-U 2.0 allotted to women (sole/joint ownership); explicit inclusion of widows, separated, unmarried women [1].
• ARH specifically targets working women, industrial workers and urban migrants — addressing post-COVID intra-urban vulnerability [1].

Economic

• Construction stimulus via 13.61 lakh sanctions; cement-steel multiplier and informal-sector employment [1].
• ISS lowers EMI burden for MIG (loan ≤₹25 lakh, dwelling ≤₹35 lakh) — supports housing demand stack [2].

Administrative / Federal

• CSMC is the central sanctioning body for State proposals; reflects Centre-State cooperative federalism in Concurrent/State subject of housing [1].
• States must reform: rent law, single-window clearance, land use, TDR — conditionalities for assistance [2].

Ethical / Governance

• Female ownership norm operationalises SDG-5 (gender) and SDG-11 (sustainable cities); Aadhaar-linked geotagged delivery improves transparency [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 9 Aug 2024: Cabinet approves PMAY-U 2.0 [2].
• 1st CSMC: early 2025 (PRID 2113557) [S3 search index].
• 3rd CSMC: 2.35 lakh houses sanctioned [S3 search index].
• 5th CSMC: held prior to Feb 2026 [S3 search index].
• 23 Feb 2026: 6th CSMC — 2.88 lakh new sanctions; cumulative 13.61 lakh [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• PMAY-U 2.0 approved by Cabinet on 9 August 2024; period 2024-29 [2].
• Total government assistance under PMAY-U 2.0: ₹2.30 lakh crore [2].
• Four verticals: BLC, AHP, ARH, ISS — remember "BAA-I" [2].
• ISS subsidy: 4% on loans up to ₹25 lakh; max benefit ₹1.80 lakh in 5 instalments [2].
• BLC/AHP central+state assistance: ₹2.50 lakh per unit [2].
• 6th CSMC date: 23 Feb 2026, chaired by Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary MoHUA [1].
• Cumulative sanctions after 6th CSMC: 13.61 lakh houses [1].
• ARH units sanctioned in 6th CSMC: 12,846 [1].
• Women allotment under PMAY-U 2.0: 96% [1].
• 6th CSMC covered 16 States/UTs [1].
• Implementing Ministry: MoHUA (NOT Ministry of Rural Development — that is PMAY-Gramin) [1].
• Mission Director, Housing for All: Shri Kuldip Narayan, JS&MD [1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Government policies & interventions for vulnerable sections; Welfare schemes; Centre-State relations.
• GS-I: Urbanisation, its problems and remedies; Women's issues.
• GS-III: Inclusive growth; Infrastructure (housing).
• Possible stems: 1. "Critically examine how PMAY-Urban 2.0 differs in design and scope from PMAY-Urban (2015). Has it adequately addressed the rental housing gap for urban migrants?" 2. "The female-centric allotment in PMAY-U 2.0 marks a paradigm shift in welfare delivery. Discuss." 3. "Affordable urban housing requires more than capital subsidy. Comment in light of PMAY-U 2.0's four verticals."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• PMAY-Gramin — rural counterpart under MoRD; differs in unit cost & nodal ministry.
• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC, 2020) — precursor of ARH vertical.
• Smart Cities Mission & AMRUT 2.0 — concurrent MoHUA urban missions.
• DAY-NULM — livelihoods linkage for PMAY-U beneficiaries.
• Real Estate (Regulation) Act, 2016 (RERA) — affordable housing supply.
• Census Towns & Urbanisation data — denominator for housing shortage estimates.
• SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities) — international benchmark.
• Model Tenancy Act, 2021 — enabler for ARH vertical.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing PMAY-U (MoHUA) with PMAY-G (Ministry of Rural Development) — different unit cost (₹1.20 lakh plain / ₹1.30 lakh hilly under PMAY-G).
• Misreading ISS cap: subsidy ceiling is ₹1.80 lakh total, NOT per year.
• ARH is a vertical of PMAY-U 2.0, not the older ARHC scheme — though conceptually linked.
• PMAY-U 2.0 covers EWS/LIG and MIG (1.0 had dropped CLSS for MIG by 2022) — don't say it is only for EWS/LIG.
• CSMC is the Central sanctioning body; states have SLSMC — don't conflate.