PIB Summary - 19th June 2025 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

2.35 Lakh houses approved under PMAY-Urban 2.0 during 3rd meeting of CSMC

Overview of PMAY-Urban 2.0

PMAY-Urban 2.0 is the updated version of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban, which was launched in 2015.

• Objective: To provide 1 crore pucca houses to urban families in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG), and Middle Income Group (MIG) who do not own any house in India.
• Central Assistance: Up to ₹2.5 lakh per unit.
• Focus Areas: Empowerment, inclusiveness, affordability, and urban transformation.

Key Approvals in the 3rd CSMC Meeting (June 18, 2025)

• Houses Approved: 2.35 lakh houses approved across 9 states, bringing total PMAY-U 2.0 approvals to 7.10 lakh houses.
• States Involved: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh.
• Approval Verticals: Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP).
• Social Inclusion: 1.25 lakh houses sanctioned for women, 44 houses allotted to transgender persons.
• Caste-based Allocation: Houses allocated based on caste categories: SC, ST, and OBC.

Policy & Implementation Focus

• Affordable Housing Policies: States advised to develop affordable housing policies, with Maharashtra’s model suggested for adaptation.
• AHP Proposals: Link AHP proposals with actual beneficiaries early to prevent future unoccupancy.
• Transit Oriented Development (ToD): Promote building homes near NAMO Bharat and metro stations.
• Special Focus Groups: Prioritize vulnerable urban sections in housing initiatives.
• Application Verification: Urged verification and digitization of applications via PMAY-U’s unified web portal.

Vertical of PMAY-U 2.0

• Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC): House construction by individual beneficiaries.
• Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): Group housing with private/public partnerships.
• Affordable Rental Housing (ARH): Not part of this meeting, focuses on rental housing for migrants.
• Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS): Interest subsidy for housing loans up to ₹9 lakh income bracket.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must not own a pucca house anywhere in India.
• Income Caps:
  • BLC & AHP: Up to ₹3 lakh/year
  • ISS: Up to ₹9 lakh/year
• Aadhaar-linked verification is mandatory.

Impact & Significance

•  Supports urban housing goals under Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) for Sustainable Cities. 
•  Encourages women-led home ownership, social equity, and slum redevelopment. 
•  Boosts employment in the construction sector and supports urban migration management. 
•  Aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and inclusive development agenda. 

One Nation, One Time – India’s March Towards Time Sovereignty: Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister

 Context & Vision 

• A Round Table Conference on Time Dissemination was conducted in New Delhi with the theme “One Nation, One Time.”
• The initiative, led by Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi, aims to establish India’s time sovereignty by ensuring accurate and secure dissemination of Indian Standard Time (IST).
• Time dissemination is viewed as strategic infrastructure crucial for national digital integrity, security, and fairness.
• Relevance: GS 2 (Governance)

Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025

• Upcoming legislation to synchronize all legal, administrative, and commercial systems with IST.
• Prohibits the use of alternative or foreign time references unless authorized.
• Makes IST legally enforceable, digitally secure, and globally benchmarked.

Time Dissemination Project Highlights

• Implemented by the Department of Consumer Affairs in collaboration with:
• CSIR-NPL (timekeeping authority)
• ISRO (satellite infrastructure)
• Establishment of 5 Regional Reference Standard Laboratories (RRSLs) with atomic clocks:
• Locations: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad, Guwahati.
• Time accuracy: Millisecond to microsecond level via NTP (Network Time Protocol) and PTP (Precision Time Protocol).

Why This Matters

• Current reliance on foreign time sources like GPS poses cybersecurity risks such as spoofing and jamming.
• The initiative aims to build a trusted, indigenous, verifiable, and secure digital infrastructure.
• Enhances fair billing in utilities, secure financial transactions, time-synced communications and transport, and operational efficiency in governance.

Strategic Sector Relevance

• Affects sectors like banking, stock markets (NSE, BSE), telecom, power grid, railways, and digital governance.
• Ensures coordinated enforcement, transparency, and accuracy in public systems.

Institutional Collaboration & Consultation

• Since 2018, over 60 technical and policy meetings have been held involving various stakeholders.
• Involvement of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Deputy NSA, NSCS, and Cabinet Secretariat.
• Support from ministries like Power, IT, Finance, and Railways, regulators like SEBI and CERT-In, and industry players like FICCI, CII, and COAI.
• Involvement of private players like Airtel, Jio, Tata, and Sify, and banks like ICICI and Bank of Baroda.

Broader Significance

•  Aligns with initiatives like Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Cybersecurity goals. 
•  Embodies the concept of “Time Sovereignty,” reflecting strategic independence in temporal data infrastructure. 
•  Sets the foundation for standardized timekeeping across sectors in India. 
•  Empowers citizens through fairer and safer digital systems.