2 crore more houses under PM Awas Yojana, 8 new railway lines: Cabinet nod for big-ticket projects

The Union Cabinet late on August 9 gave its approval for a slew of big-ticket projects, which includes the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY 2.0) and eight new railway lines.

The Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also gave its nod to the Clean Plant Programme (CPP) to support horticulture farmers. It will involve an investment of ₹1,765.67 crore.

Key components of the programme include: establishment of nine world-class Clean Plant Centres (CPCs) across India, equipped with advanced diagnostic therapeutics and tissue culture labs; and implementation of a robust certification system under the Seeds Act 1966. It also includes infrastructure support to large-scale nurseries for efficient multiplication of clean planting material.

Two crore more houses under PM Awas Yojana

The Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Rural Development for construction of two crore more houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G).

The Cabinet approved the 'Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29," which prescribes for the construction of two crore more houses at existing unit assistance of ₹1.20 lakh in plain areas and ₹1.30 lakh in North Eastern Region States and Hill States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, according to an official statement.

This in addition to the Cabinet's nod for PMAY 2.0 for urban regions. Under the project, the Centre will will provide an assistance of ₹2.3 lakh crore to construct, purchase, or rent a house at an affordable cost.

A total of 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned in the first phase of PMAY-U 2.0, while more than 85.5 lakh houses have already been constructed and delivered to the beneficiaries.

Under the PMAY-U 2.0, families belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS), low income group (LIG), or middle income group (MIG) having no pucca house anywhere in the country are eligible to purchase or construct a house

EWS households are families with an annual income up to ₹3 lakh. LIG households are families with an annual income from ₹3 lakh up to ₹6 lakh. MIG households are families with an annual income from ₹6 lakh up to ₹9 lakh.

8 new railway lines

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved eight railway projects with total estimated cost of ₹24,657 crore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

The new line proposals will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for the Indian Railways, Vaishnaw said in a press briefing.

A government press release, providing details of these projects, said the eight projects covering 14 districts in seven states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal will increase the existing network of the Indian Railways by 900 kms.

"With these projects 64 New Stations will be constructed, providing enhancing connectivity to Six (6) Aspirational Districts (East Singhbum, Bhadadri Kothagudem, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Rayagada), approx. 510 villages and about 40 lakh population," the release said.