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Can’t Afford to Buy a Home ? Modi Government’s Rental Housing Plan Offers New Hope
New Delhi : For millions of people living in cities, owning a home has increasingly become a distant dream as property prices continue to rise, while finding a safe and decent house at an affordable rent is also a major challenge, especially for low-income families and workers who migrate to cities in search of jobs and better opportunities. Offering a potential relief to such urban residents, the Narendra Modi government is promoting Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0), with the aim of making clean, safe and affordable rental accommodation available to people who may not be in a position to buy or construct their own homes.
The initiative is particularly aimed at Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low-Income Groups (LIG), urban migrants, homeless people, industrial workers, working women, construction workers, street vendors, rickshaw pullers and other small service providers who often struggle to find suitable accommodation in cities within their limited budgets. Under the scheme, rental housing complexes are envisaged with essential facilities such as drinking water, sewerage, sanitation, internal roads, community centres, healthcare facilities and creches, while small shops and commercial spaces may also be developed nearby to meet residents’ everyday needs.
The Affordable Rental Housing initiative is being implemented through two models: under the first model, vacant houses already constructed by government agencies can be converted into rental housing through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) or government entities; under the second model, public or private agencies can construct new affordable rental housing and take responsibility for their operation and maintenance.
The initiative is aimed at creating a more accessible rental housing ecosystem for people who need affordable accommodation for shorter or longer periods, particularly those who cannot afford to purchase a home. With rising urbanisation and increasing migration towards cities, affordable rental housing has emerged as an important need for workers and vulnerable urban households. If effectively implemented, the ARH component of PMAY-U 2.0 could provide not just a roof over the head, but a safer and more dignified living environment for thousands of families and workers trying to build a better life in India’s growing cities.
