Nanded’s rural housing programme under the second phase of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY–Gramin) is facing significant implementation hurdles, with the district completing less than two per cent of its annual target. The district administration has been tasked with constructing more than 2.40 lakh dwellings, yet only a small fraction has reached completion, raising concerns about the pace of delivery and its implications for regional housing equity.
According to district officials, the rural development agency has been responsible for rolling out the 2024–25 housing target across 16 talukas. Applications were screened through geotagging and eligibility checks, resulting in more than 2.24 lakh approvals. However, the number of homes completed — just 4,782 — remains disproportionately low, highlighting systemic delays and administrative bottlenecks. A major challenge stems from the lack of secure land ownership among a large share of applicants. Many households reside on inherited or informally held land, making it difficult to meet the documentation requirements of the programme. Officials noted that landowners are often reluctant to cede plots or provide consent, leaving beneficiaries unable to initiate construction despite approvals. This issue has been repeatedly highlighted by rural planners as a key barrier to creating more resilient and inclusive housing stock in rural districts.
Administrative delays linked to Aadhaar updates, beneficiary transfers and banking clearances have further slowed progress. “Each stage — from account verification to instalment release — demands multiple layers of compliance that rural families often struggle to navigate,” a senior district official said. In several cases, beneficiaries received only partial instalments, delaying procurement of materials and prolonging construction cycles. The scheme offers financial support of ₹1.20 lakh per home, along with additional allocations for sanitation and employment-linked assistance. This year, the Union government added a ₹50,000 top-up tied to the installation of a one-kilowatt solar power system. Officials said the subsidy has been sanctioned and is expected to be released shortly. The solar component aligns with national and state-level efforts to increase distributed renewable energy adoption in low-income households, a step that supports the transition towards more sustainable and climate-resilient rural housing.
Housing experts note that while PMAY–G has improved access to formal housing across several states, districts with high land fragmentation and informal tenure continue to fall behind. In Nanded, the gap between approvals and construction suggests the need for targeted interventions such as simplified documentation, community land pooling and technical support for vulnerable families. As the district continues to work through its backlog of more than 2.35 lakh pending homes, officials emphasise that streamlined processes and improved coordination between agencies will be essential. Strengthening rural housing delivery, they say, is not only central to meeting programme targets but also to ensuring equitable, safe and climate-responsive living conditions for low-income households across the region.
PMAY Progress Stalls At 1.99 Percent As Only 4782 Houses Completed
