The Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam today chaired the 8th meeting of State Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban (PMAY-U) Mission.Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Housing & Urban Development and Revenue, besides Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation and concerned Heads of Departments participated in the meeting.The Chief Secretary reviewed the progress achieved under the four verticals of PMAY-U namely Beneficiary Led Individual House Construction or Enhancement (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) and In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR). It was informed that as per the revised survey, the department of Housing & Urban Development has sanctioned 55,155 houses under these four verticals. It was informed that the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has allowed Jammu & Kashmir to extend the benefits under PMAY-U Mission to villages falling under Notified Planning/ Development areas under the jurisdiction of Industrial Development Authority, Special Area Development Authority, Urban Development Authority or any such authority which is entrusted with the function of urban planning. The Chief Secretary impressed upon the officers to develop a strong MIS linkage between PMAY-G and PMAY-U to avoid duplication of beneficiaries in the cases where such extension is provided.The Chief Secretary approved the Department’s consolidation of demand survey in all 78 cities and towns of the Union Territory. The survey which identifies 79,331 households under various components of the mission has verified and revalidated the eligibility of the identified beneficiaries. Taking into consideration the difficulties faced by the beneficiaries from weaker section in constructing the dwelling unit without any upfront financial assistance, Chief Secretary asked the Department to provide initial assistance comprising 25% of the total assistance in advance to the beneficiaries of BLC category, subject to fulfilling of the condition of initial geo-tagging and judicial undertaking by the beneficiary.Further, the SLSMC also approved 130 DPRs comprising 20,753 beneficiaries under BLC category under PMAY-U, with a total financial implication of Rs. 1128.32 crore. The Chief Secretary impressed upon the Department to initiate the process of tendering for works under subsequent phases to ensure adherence to project timelines.