The Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri said that his ministry will over 1 crore homes under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) by December 2018. He also said that his Ministry sanctions almost 3-5 lakh home every month as per a press release by the Ministry of Finance on PIB on Monday.

"Today my office has sanctioned 318,000 homes taking the tally to 51 lakh houses so far," said Puri quotes the report at an Interactive Session on Sustainable Development Goals and moving up the scale with CSR and flagship programs organized jointly by Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and Forum Indian Development Cooperation.

As part of Smart City Initiative, safe transportation, lower environmental impact, waste to energy and waste to compost, universal access for women, children and old people is where intervention is required beyond building homes. Citing an example, Puri pointed-out to Surat in Gujarat where the crime rate dropped by over 20 percent with the use of technology like CCTV.

There is no shortage of funds, all one needs is a bankable project, the Union Minister concluded.