Vijayawada: The Centre has allocated five lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, giving a major boost to rural housing in the two Telugu states.Andhra Pradesh has been allotted three lakh houses, including an additional 2.25 lakh units over the 74,000 houses sanctioned earlier. Telangana has received two lakh houses, including an additional 1.25 lakh units over its earlier allocation of 74,000 houses.The allocations are part of the Centre’s goal of providing housing to all eligible rural families under PMAY-G. Each beneficiary is expected to receive financial assistance of about ₹1.70 lakh to ₹1.80 lakh through convergence of funds from PMAY-G, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Swachh Bharat Mission for toilet construction.Union rural development minister Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar said only about 23% of the houses sanctioned during the previous YSRCP govt’s tenure had been completed. He said the NDA coalition govt in AP is aiming to speed up housing construction and help poor families realise their dream of owning a house.“The Centre granted additional housing units to Andhra Pradesh following chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s request,” Dr Pemmasani said. He added that Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction more PMAY-G houses for the state.According to the minister, the fresh allocation is expected to accelerate rural housing construction and benefit lakhs of families in both states. The government said home ownership would provide greater financial security, dignity and self-reliance to economically weaker families, while convergence of central and state schemes would help beneficiaries access multiple forms of assistance to complete their houses and improve basic amenities.