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 to beneficiaries. A total of 53,271 sanctioned houses had yet to be completed and handed over, while more than 23,000 had not yet been grounded, the minister revealed. The figures assume significance as the Centre has moved to PMAY-U 2.0, which aims to expand affordable housing coverage in urban areas. The original PMAY-U was launched on June 25, 2015, to provide eligible urban families with all-weather pucca houses equipped with basic civic amenities. Building on the experience of the first phase, the Centre launched PMAY-U 2.0 from September 1, 2024, targeting support for 1 crore additional eligible urban families across the country. The scheme covers eligible economically weaker section, low-income group and middle-income group families living in urban areas, provided they do not own a pucca house anywhere in the country. The ministry said implementation of PMAY-U was driven by proposals submitted by states and Union territories. Based on these proposals, houses were sanctioned and central financial assistance was released in instalments. In Punjab, the scheme is being implemented through urban local bodies across all 23 districts. However, the latest parliamentary reply does not provide district-wise figures on houses sanctioned, grounded or completed. At the national level, 1.2768 crore houses have been sanctioned under PMAY-U and PMAY-U 2.0. Of these, 1.2 crore have been grounded, while 99.07 lakh houses have been completed or delivered as of July 13, 2026....