The Odisha government has decided to rent out vacant and unutilised buildings and houses in urban areas to the urban poor and working population.

It has initiated the process of identifying vacant and unutilised central and state government buildings and houses located in urban areas, for conversion into affordable rental housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-U 2.0)

Additional chief secretary of the housing and urban development department, Usha Padhee, said: “We have issued a communication to key departments requesting them to identify such vacant and unutilised assets under their administrative control and share the details with the Odisha urban housing mission, the state nodal agency for implementation of PMAY-U 2.0.”

Officials said that the initiative will help transform unutilised public assets into long-term rental-income-generating housing units, while simultaneously supporting urban workforce stability, strengthening local economies, and preventing the growth of informal
settlements.