Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday chaired the inaugural meeting of the Union Territory Level Sanctioning & Monitoring Committee (UTLSMC) for the Housing & Urban Development Department (H&UDD) to evaluate the progress of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban (PMAY-U) and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–Jammu and Kashmir Shehri (D-JAY Shehri) scheme, which aims to generate livelihoods for the urban poor.
The meeting attended by top officials from various departments and municipal corporations approved the construction of 1,254 housing units under the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) vertical of PMAY-U 2.0 and an additional 304 units under the Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) vertical in Udhampur district. An Annual Capacity Building Plan for 2025–26 was also cleared for submission to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Addressing the meeting Chief Secretary emphasized the need to identify eligible beneficiaries promptly to facilitate the timely start of Affordable Housing projects and urged the Department to expedite household surveys under PMAY-U 2.0. He highlighted the importance of transparency in the verification process to ensure that genuine households receive benefits. The Chief Secretary directed that ongoing construction projects be completed within set timelines, particularly focusing on the nearing completion of Phase-I of PMAY-U while also advancing Phase-II. Commissioner Secretary Mandeep Kaur noted that PMAY-U Phase-I is set to conclude in December 2025, while Phase-II is already in progress. She outlined the scheme’s four verticals: BLC, AHP, Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS), and Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC), which aim to provide durable housing for urban poor families. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are responsible for demand assessment and application verification, with District Level Committees (DLCs) overseeing implementation and forwarding project reports to the UT Level Appraisal Committee (UTLAC). MD of J&K Housing Board, Shahbaz Mirza, reported that 32,803 dwelling units have been established in J&K under PMAY-U, with significant numbers verified under both BLC and AHP verticals. A household survey identified 64,097 eligible households under BLC, along with others under different verticals. MD NULM, Mridhu Salathia, provided insights into the D-JAY Shehri scheme, which aims to uplift the urban poor through a door-to-door household survey and the establishment of help desks. Approximately 150 teams will be formed in Jammu and Srinagar to facilitate this initiative. The Chief Secretary reiterated the necessity for both housing and livelihood programs to be executed in a timely, transparent, and beneficiary-focused manner to maximize benefits for urban poor families across the Union Territory.
