From Stitching Dreams to Building a Home: Runu’s Journey with PMAY-U BANDHU

Bhubaneswar: For Runu Pradhan, a tailor from Ward No. 9 of Phulbani Municipality, building a house was not just about owning a roof over her head. It was about securing a future for her two daughters after years of financial and personal hardship.

A widow and the sole breadwinner of her family, Runu sustained her household through tailoring while ensuring that her daughters continued their education. In 2025, she applied for assistance under PMAY-U 2.0, turning her long-held dream of owning a house into a reality.

Runu received her work order on June 12, 2025, and completed construction within just three months and 10 days. Her early completion also made her eligible for the Early Completion Incentive under the State initiative.

However, completing the house came with a financial challenge. As she spent more time supervising the construction work, she had to reduce the hours at her sewing machine, leading to a loss of daily income.

It was during this difficult phase that the PMAY-U BANDHU initiative provided crucial support. In 2026, Runu received ₹25,000 as compensation for wage loss, helping ease the financial burden caused by the time she had to devote to constructing her home.

The assistance acknowledged a challenge often faced by economically vulnerable families—that building a house can temporarily affect their livelihood. In Runu’s case, the support helped her pursue home ownership without placing additional pressure on her family’s immediate income.

Her journey gained wider recognition during the State-Level Local Self-Government Day 2026, when she interacted with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. During the interaction, the Chief Minister enquired about her PMAY-U house, the benefits she had received, her experience with the Subhadra Yojana and how the assistance had supported her family.

Runu shared her experience as a widow, her responsibilities towards her daughters and her livelihood as a tailor. Her story reflected not only the impact of housing assistance but also the confidence that comes from overcoming adversity and becoming more financially secure.

The experience highlights the broader objective of PMAY-U BANDHU, which seeks to support beneficiaries beyond the construction of a house. Under the initiative, eligible beneficiaries facing livelihood or wage loss while devoting time to constructing their PMAY-U houses can receive ₹25,000 in compensation.

For Runu and her daughters, the house today represents far more than a completed construction project. It provides a safe and dignified living space while creating a stable environment for her daughters to study and pursue their aspirations.

Her journey demonstrates how targeted government support, when combined with determination and hard work, can help vulnerable families overcome immediate challenges and build a stronger foundation for the future.

PMAY-U BANDHU: Supporting the Journey Home

The initiative provides ₹25,000 wage-loss compensation to eligible PMAY-U beneficiaries who face loss of livelihood while devoting time to the construction of their houses, helping ensure that the journey towards home ownership does not add to the burden of livelihood loss.