Gujarat wins 3 national PMAY-U awards, completes 96% of approved houses
Synopsis
Gujarat has completed 96 per cent of its PMAY-U beneficiary-led houses — the highest rate in India — and taken home three national awards covering reforms, construction and town planning. With 17 cumulative urban housing awards since 2015-16 and a fresh 1.50 lakh homes pipeline under PMAY-U 2.0, the state is positioning itself as the national benchmark for affordable urban housing delivery.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat won three national awards from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 14 October 2026 .
The state completed 96 per cent of houses approved under the Beneficiary-Led Construction component of PMAY-U — the highest in India.
Gujarat was recognised for implementing the highest number of the ministry's 14 proposed reforms under PMAY-U 2.0.
A total of 9.30 lakh out of 11.14 lakh approved PMAY-U houses have been constructed in the state.
More than 1.50 lakh additional houses have been approved under PMAY-U 2.0 , launched in 2025-26 .
Gujarat's cumulative tally of national urban housing awards now stands at 17 , up from 14 before this ceremony.
Gujarat has completed 96 per cent of houses approved under the Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), clinching three national awards for urban housing and planning from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 14 October 2026. The recognition makes Gujarat the top-performing state in the country on the BLC completion metric, according to the state government.
Three Awards, Three Distinct Categories
The awards, conferred at a ceremony in New Delhi, covered distinct dimensions of urban housing performance. The first recognised Gujarat as the 'State with the Highest Number of Reforms Achieved under PMAY-U 2.0' — the ministry had proposed around 14 reforms spanning land, urban planning, regulatory procedures, digital technology, and financial mechanisms to make affordable housing faster, more accessible, and more transparent. Gujarat was acknowledged for implementing the highest number of these reforms among all states.
The second award was for the highest BLC completion rate in the country, with 96 per cent of approved houses under this component now constructed. The third recognised the state's practices under the Town Planning Scheme (TPS) procedures governed by the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, under which 10 per cent of plots in designated residential zones are reserved for Socially and Economically Weaker Sections (SEWS) to increase land availability for affordable housing.
Scale of Construction Under PMAY-U
Urban Development Minister Kanu Desai said Gujarat had approved 11.14 lakh houses under PMAY-U, of which more than 9.30 lakh had been completed. He added that more than 1.50 lakh additional houses had been approved under PMAY-U 2.0, launched in 2025-26, extending the scheme's coverage to more urban families.
The awards were received by Urban Development and Urban Housing Department Secretary Remya Mohan on behalf of the state from Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu.
What Government Officials Said
Desai attributed the national recognition to the state government's commitment to urban development and the welfare of economically weaker sections, noting that the efforts were carried out under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. He credited teamwork and governance policies for the outcome.
Minister of State for Urban Development Darshna Vaghela noted that Gujarat had now received 17 national awards in urban housing between 2015-16 and 2026, with the latest three taking the tally from 14 to 17. 'Gujarat had received 14 national awards in urban housing between 2015-16 and 2026. With the latest three awards, the state's total has risen to 17,' she said. Vaghela added that the government remained committed to providing vulnerable urban families with pucca houses and basic amenities to support a dignified life.
Context and What Comes Next
This comes amid the Centre's broader push to scale up urban affordable housing through PMAY-U and its successor PMAY-U 2.0, which was rolled out in 2025-26 to deepen coverage. Gujarat's TPS-linked land reservation model — a mechanism that pre-dates PMAY — has now drawn explicit national-level recognition, signalling that states deploying structural land reforms alongside construction targets are being rewarded over those focused solely on unit counts. With 1.50 lakh additional houses approved under PMAY-U 2.0, the state's urban housing pipeline remains active, and completion progress on this tranche will be a key metric to watch in the coming months.
Point of View
Covering land, digital processes and financial mechanisms. Most state-level housing coverage fixates on unit counts; the reform metric is a more durable indicator of whether affordable housing ecosystems are being built, not just buildings. The TPS land-reservation model, rooted in a 1976 Act, also signals that older regulatory tools, when enforced, can complement new central schemes — a lesson other states have been slow to apply. Whether the 1.50 lakh PMAY-U 2.0 pipeline translates into comparable completion rates will be the real test of institutional durability beyond the award cycle.
NationPress
14 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three national PMAY-U awards Gujarat won in 2026?
Gujarat won awards in three categories: highest number of PMAY-U 2.0 reforms implemented among all states, highest completion rate under the Beneficiary-Led Construction component at 96 per cent, and best practices in Town Planning Scheme procedures under the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976. The awards were conferred by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 14 October 2026 in New Delhi.
What is the Beneficiary-Led Construction component of PMAY-U?
The Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC) component of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) provides financial assistance directly to individual beneficiaries to build or enhance their own homes on their own land. Gujarat has completed 96 per cent of houses approved under this component — the highest completion rate in the country.
How many houses has Gujarat built under PMAY-U overall?
Gujarat has approved 11.14 lakh houses under PMAY-U, of which more than 9.30 lakh have been completed. An additional 1.50 lakh houses have been approved under the successor scheme PMAY-U 2.0, launched in 2025-26.
What is Gujarat's Town Planning Scheme and why was it recognised?
The Town Planning Scheme (TPS) is a land-use mechanism under the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, under which 10 per cent of plots in designated residential zones are reserved for Socially and Economically Weaker Sections (SEWS). It was recognised nationally for making urban land available for affordable housing in a structured and transparent manner.
How many total national urban housing awards has Gujarat received?
Gujarat has now received 17 national awards in urban housing since 2015-16. The state had accumulated 14 such awards before the latest ceremony, where the three new awards brought the cumulative total to 17, according to Minister of State for Urban Development Darshna Vaghela.
