Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that the government will soon provide houses to nearly five lakh homeless people in Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). This initiative is a significant step towards addressing the housing deficit in the Union Territory and ensuring that every eligible family has a permanent home.
Chouhan made this announcement during a press briefing in Srinagar, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in attendance. He emphasized Prime Minister Modi's commitment to providing shelter for all citizens, stating that a comprehensive survey had been conducted to identify the beneficiaries. The Minister also assured that a rigorous verification process would be implemented to ensure that only eligible individuals benefit from the scheme.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) aims to provide affordable housing to economically weaker sections (EWS), lower-income groups (LIG), and middle-income groups (MIG) in both urban and rural areas. The scheme has two components: PMAY-Urban (PMAY-U) and PMAY-Gramin (PMAY-G). PMAY-G focuses on rural housing, while PMAY-U addresses the housing needs in urban centers.
Significant progress has already been made under PMAY in Jammu and Kashmir. As of March 2025, over three lakh 'pucca' houses had been constructed under PMAY in the past two years. Specifically, 3,04,544 houses were completed, with 2,60,124 in Jammu and 44,420 in Kashmir, under the PMAY-G scheme. Furthermore, nearly 28,000 houses have been completed under the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) component of PMAY-U.
In addition to providing housing, the central government is also focused on rural development and women's empowerment in Jammu and Kashmir. Chouhan highlighted the progress made under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), particularly the "Lakhpati Didi" campaign, which aims to enable rural women to earn at least Rs 1 lakh annually through entrepreneurship, handicrafts, farming, and small businesses. He also introduced the concept of "Millennial Didi," recognizing women earning Rs 10 lakh a year.
The Union Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir included a review meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to assess the progress of agriculture and rural development initiatives in the Union Territory. They also discussed strategies for expanding sustainable farming practices and promoting natural farming methods.
The government has allocated significant financial resources to support housing development in Jammu and Kashmir under the PMAY scheme. In 2023-24, the Union Ministry of Rural Development allocated an additional target of 1,99,550 houses under PMAY-G to Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched PMAY-U 2.0, effective from September 1, 2024, targeting an additional one crore households nationwide.
The PMAY scheme reflects the government's commitment to improving housing infrastructure and addressing housing challenges, with Jammu and Kashmir being a significant beneficiary of this initiative. The construction of houses under PMAY is underway in various districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Nowshera in the Rajouri district.
