Carpet area raised to make affordable housing more accessible
New Delhi, June 12: In a major boost to affordable housing, the government on Tuesday said it has raised the carpet area of houses eligible for subsidy under Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) by 33 per cent for the Middle-Income Group (MIG) segment.
"These enhancements will now enable more MIG customers to qualify for subsidy and avail the benefits provided under the ambitious flagship mission of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)," the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said in a statement.
The carpet area has been raised from "up to 120 square metre" to "up to 160 square metre" for MIG I, which comprise families with household income between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. For MIG II families, with annual income between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 18 lakh, it has been raised from "up to 150 square metre" to "up to 200 square metre".
For MIG I, the interest subsidy is four per cent, eligible housing loan amount is Rs 9 lakh and the upfront amount for subsidy is Rs 2,35,068. For MIG II, the interest subsidy is three per cent, eligible loan amount is Rs 12 lakh and the upfront amount for subsidy is Rs 2,30,156.
"This augurs well with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policy to revise the housing loan limits for Priority Sector lending (PSL) eligibility," it said.
The RBI has decided to revise the housing loan limits for PSL eligibility from existing Rs 28 lakh to Rs 35 lakh in metropolitan centres, and from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh in other centres, provided the overall cost of the dwelling unit in metro and at other centres does not exceed Rs 45 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, respectively.
The MIG segment is an aspirational class which is upwardly mobile and the intent of the CLSS for MIG is to support the dream of every family of owning a house, the ministry said. The decision to increase the carpet area was done after inputs from various stakeholders.
One key issue was denial of CLSS benefit to potential beneficiaries as they were buying flats or constructing houses, where the carpet area exceeded the cap of either 120 square metre or 150 square metre, thus rendering them ineligible for the interest subsidy under MIG.
"The increased construction activity in housing sector has a cascading effect on core sectors like cement, steel, machinery and other allied sectors. More construction activity in the urban areas would result in creation of more jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers," it said.
The CLSS for MIG scheme has gained momentum in the last couple of quarters and the offtake has picked up significantly. As on June 11, 2018, an amount of Rs 736.79 crore has been disbursed to 35,204 beneficiaries belonging to the MIG category, said the ministry.
The number of CLSS beneficiaries for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) is 133,213 and subsidy released for this segment is Rs 2,890.50 crore.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
