Chandigarh, Aug. 9 -- More than 53,000 houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) in Punjab have yet to be completed and handed over to beneficiaries even as the Centre has released Rs.2,198 crore of the approved Rs.2,714-crore central assistance to the state.

Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu said the Centre had sanctioned 1,58,768 houses for Punjab under PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0, including 37,778 houses approved under the revamped scheme launched in September 2024.

Of the total sanctioned houses, 1,35,494 had been grounded (foundation laid/construction started), while only 1,05,497 had been completed and delivered ...