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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 7:24:18 pm

CIDCO struggles to find takers for its homes

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) latest housing scheme has exposed a recurring challenge for the planning authority: finding buyers for its large housing inventory despite its affordable-housing focus. The August 2026 scheme offered 4,793 homes in Taloja, Kharghar and Kalamboli and received 4,180 confirmed applications before bookings closed on September 3. While CIDCO described the response as strong, 613 homes—nearly 13 per cent of the inventory—had no...

CIDCO struggles to find takers for its homes

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) latest housing scheme has exposed a recurring challenge for the planning authority: finding buyers for its large housing inventory despite its affordable-housing focus. The August 2026 scheme offered 4,793 homes in Taloja, Kharghar and Kalamboli and received 4,180 confirmed applications before bookings closed on September 3. While CIDCO described the response as strong, 613 homes—nearly 13 per cent of the inventory—had no confirmed applicant. This follows earlier schemes with similar gaps. In January 2025, CIDCO’s ‘My Preferred Home’ scheme, offering around 26,000 homes across Navi Mumbai, attracted 1.36 lakh initial applications. However, only about 55,000 applicants paid the registration fee and around 22,000 deposited the required earnest money, leaving serious participation below the number of homes offered. A CAG-linked report on two CIDCO housing schemes in Kharghar found that, of 4,814 saleable tenements, allotment letters had been issued to 3,733 applicants and possession handed over to 3,317. Four years after the draw, 1,081 tenements remained unsold. CIDCO has also faced scrutiny over marketing expenditure. In 2023, reports questioned the appointment of private agencies to market and allot PMAY homes, stating that the agencies had received advances of more than Rs 100 crore before sales took place. CIDCO officials said external support was necessary given the scale of the programme. The scale of investment adds to the concern. CIDCO’s mass-housing programme envisaged 68,515 homes at an estimated cost of around Rs 15,300 crore. A 2024 report noted that thousands of completed homes were awaiting sale, locking up capital and increasing the authority’s financial burden. The latest homes are located in Taloja Sector 39, Kalamboli Bus Depot and Kharghar Bus Depot. Taloja accounts for 4,229 homes, followed by 257 in Kalamboli and 293 in Kharghar. Indicative prices range from around Rs 23.50 lakh in Taloja to Rs 37.70 lakh in Kalamboli and Rs 43.50 lakh in Kharghar. The figures point to a possible mismatch between what CIDCO considers affordable and what its target buyers can finance. Industry experts have noted that EWS homes priced at Rs 25 lakh or more may be difficult for households within the prescribed income ceiling, particularly after registration, stamp duty, floor-rise charges and other costs. Location may also influence demand. Taloja has seen rapid development and improved connectivity, including metro access, but buyers continue to weigh its distance from established employment centres and social infrastructure, as well as commuting costs. CIDCO maintains that its housing programme meets a genuine need in Navi Mumbai. Ashwin Mudgal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, CIDCO, said, “The overwhelming response to the housing scheme reflects the aspirations of citizens to own a home in Navi Mumbai and their continued confidence in CIDCO’s planned development initiatives. CIDCO remains committed to providing affordable and quality housing opportunities in well-planned locations, enabling citizens to benefit from the region’s growing infrastructure and connectivity.” The authority has also highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) subsidy, under which eligible beneficiaries can receive Rs 2.5 lakh, subject to applicable guidelines and eligibility criteria. However, the repeated unsold inventory suggests that CIDCO’s challenge extends beyond construction. Pricing, apartment configurations, location, payment flexibility and connectivity may need to be reassessed before further public resources are committed.

‘Six crore citizens anchored under social security net’

Correspondent
Aug 16
3 min read

It was a proud moment for Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal when he was asked by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to make a presentation of the new scheme providing social security to agricultural labourers in the state cabinet meeting. Ministers of state are not allowed to attend cabinet meetings and do so only when they are specially invited by the head of the cabinet.


The special invitation was offered to explain the state government’s decision to expand the Gopinath Munde Farmers’ Accident Security Ex-Gratia Grant Scheme, extending its lifecycle up to March 31, 2031. In a historic overhauling of rural welfare, the scheme officially integrates landless agricultural labourers, certified women farmers and all members of a farmer’s family under a standard Rs 2 lakh accidental coverage umbrella.


In an exclusive talk with ‘The Perfect Voice’, Jaiswal, the brainchild of the new scheme, talks about how this policy intends to fundamentally shift the rural economic landscape. Excerpts…


The expansion of the Gopinath Munde Scheme has been described as a ‘historic milestone.’ Could you briefly outline the scale of this decision?

It is indeed a watershed moment. Previously, social security under this framework was constrained to just two registered land-holding members of a family. We realized that those who sweat the most in the fields – the landless agricultural labourers and women workers – were completely exposed to catastrophic financial shocks from field accidents. When we proposed this scheme, there were several negative objections raised by the bureaucracy. However, we countered them effectively as we were determined to provide social security to labourers, who are equally the backbone of agriculture along with farmers.


By extending this coverage until 2031 and broadening the definition of a beneficiary, we are pulling nearly six crore citizens into a secure, state-backed safety net. If a worker loses their life or suffers a severe disability from a road hazard, lightning strike, snakebite, heatstroke or wild animal attack, the family receives up to Rs 2 lakh in immediate financial aid.


Landless agricultural labourers do not possess formal land records or a 7/12 extract. How will the ministry identify and verify these workers?

This is a vital administrative step. We are bypassing the strict dependency on land ownership documents. Gram Panchayats, local agricultural officers and village-level revenue authorities will be empowered to issue standard occupancy or employment certificates certifying that the individual operates as an agricultural labourer.


The scheme explicitly encompasses spouses, sons and daughters. Are there any specific age limits or documentation constraints needed to validate family eligibility?

The age limit operates on a highly inclusive threshold of 18 to 75 years. To prove eligibility, standard documentation like the family’s Aadhaar card, ration cards or school-leaving certificates will suffice to establish the legal relationship to the primary registered labourer.


Financial sustainability is always a concern for long-term welfare schemes. What is the budgetary layout for this massive extension, and is it a shared fiscal burden?

This expansion is fully backed by the Government of Maharashtra under the ex-gratia grant system. The Cabinet has allocated an expansive financial layout of Rs 200 crore to sustain the scheme for the next five years until 2031. Because it is structured as an ex-gratia grant managed directly through the state’s MahaDBT Portal, we ensure that payouts are fully liquidized without facing central bureaucratic friction.


In the past, families of deceased labourers had to wait months for insurance relief. What measures are in place to accelerate processing timelines?

We have completely overhauled the processing hierarchy. Previously, third-party commercial insurance companies delayed disbursements via endless audits. Now, the state relies on a direct benefit transfer (DBT) model. Once local committees verify an incident, the capital is disbursed directly from the state treasury into the bank account of the nominee, aiming to resolve claims within 30 days of filing.

What happens if an insurance claim is delayed or wrongfully rejected? Is there a redressal platform?

We have formed a strict Grievance Redressal Committee at both the District Magistrate (Collector) level and the state level. If an application is rejected or hits an administrative block, the affected family can appeal directly via the MahaDBT Helpdesk or the local block development office.


Illiteracy and lack of connectivity plague deep rural pockets. How will your ministry drive awareness to the remotest workers?

We are initialising grassroots information drives with all Gram Panchayats hosting mandatory awareness boards outlining the scheme. In addition to this, we have instituted offline helpdesks across at the village level, where workers can walk in with their identity proofs and the desk operators will handle the digital upload completely free of charge. Our primary metric of success is simple: no family of a deceased farm worker should be driven into poverty due to an unforeseen workplace tragedy.

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