Bihar Aims to Provide Homes for All in Urban Areas by August 2025
The growing housing shortage in Bihar’s urban areas, the state government has set an ambitious target to provide homes to all urban residents by August 2025. Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena revealed on Wednesday that the government is working in mission mode to ensure that no family is left without a home in the state’s urban regions.
According to official data shared by the Chief Secretary’s office, the state government is currently constructing 264,604 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Shahri (PMAY). This initiative, a part of the central government’s push to ensure housing for all, has already seen the completion of 148,630 homes. The remaining 117,974 houses are still under construction, with work progressing at an accelerated pace. In the last three months alone, the construction of 41,080 houses has been completed, and the government aims to maintain this momentum to meet the August 2025 deadline. Meena’s office has assured that construction will continue at an intensified rate, aiming for the completion of the remaining housing units within the next 18 months. The state has also taken steps to ensure that no one is left out of this initiative. A survey is currently underway to identify individuals who may have been inadvertently excluded from the housing list. The survey is expected to be completed by the end of February 2025, ensuring that every eligible person is accounted for and provided with a housing solution.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is a key scheme that provides affordable housing for low-income families in urban areas. Under the programme, those who own land will receive a financial grant of Rs 2 lakh for house construction, with Rs 1.5 lakh contributed by the Centre and Rs 50,000 from the state government. Families living in slums or lacking land ownership will be accommodated under the institutional development programme, which will provide them with ready-built homes. The government is also working on expanding housing provisions for the economically weaker sections (EWS) and low-income groups. Under its real estate policy, houses will be built for these groups, with a focus on making them affordable and suitable for long-term habitation. To ensure timely completion of the housing projects, the Bihar government has taken proactive steps to tackle the shortage of engineers in local urban bodies. Retired engineers have been enlisted to support the workforce, and nearly 500 junior engineers have been recruited to assist in the construction efforts. These engineers will play a crucial role in overseeing the projects and ensuring that they meet the required standards.
The government’s initiative is a much-needed step towards addressing the housing crisis in Bihar’s urban areas. For many families, owning a home has long been a distant dream, but this mission could change the lives of thousands, providing them with stability and security. As construction continues at full throttle, the people of Bihar can look forward to a more inclusive and sustainable future, where everyone has a place to call home. The ambitious target of completing the housing projects by August 2025 underscores the state government’s commitment to improving living standards and fostering urban development. By tackling the housing problem head-on, Bihar is setting a powerful example for other states to follow in terms of addressing the urban housing shortage.
