GUNTUR: Andhra Pradesh is set to host a national-level pilot project to construct Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) houses using indigenous 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) technology, with Guntur district selected for the initiative.
Union Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar is spearheading the project, which aims to introduce automated construction technology in rural housing.
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed on October 4 at Burripalem among the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, and AP government.
The pilot will develop technical protocols and structural benchmarks for scaling 3D-printed rural housing nationwide. It will construct 177 PMAY-G houses in Burripalem and Obulanaidupalem over 18 months, including 100 25-sq m units and 77 32-sq m barrier-free homes for Persons with Disabilities, each with a household latrine.
The project has an outlay of Rs 13.93 crore, excluding taxes, with MoRD contributing Rs 9.44 crore and the State government Rs 4.49 crore.
The MoRD contribution includes Rs 3.40 crore for procuring 3DCP machinery, Rs 1.50 crore for CSIR-CBRI technical supervision and Rs 4.54 crore for construction works.
The State government will spend Rs 3.64 crore on land preparation and soil stabilisation and contribute Rs 0.85 crore towards construction.
MoRD will serve as the funding authority, while CSIR-CBRI will provide technological designs, mix formulations and technical oversight.
Meanwhile, AP has received a major housing boost under PMAY-G 2.0, with an allocation of three lakh rural houses.
It includes 2.25 lakh newly sanctioned houses in addition to the approved 74,000 units. It coincides with the formal signing of the MoU and launch of the pilot project scheduled for October 4 at Burripalem.