MHADA's Pune Board has opened applications for 4,462 homes priced ₹11 lakh to ₹64 lakh, with the window closing September 15 and the draw scheduled for October 13.
If you've been priced out of Pune's private residential market and assumed affordable government housing was either sold out or too slow-moving to matter, this is worth your attention right now. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority's Pune Board has opened applications for 4,462 homes across Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and adjoining regions, and unlike a lot of scheme coverage that tells you a launch is "expected soon," this one is live today. Applications opened August 24 at noon and close September 15 at 11:59 pm, with the computerised lottery draw scheduled for October 13 at 11 am.
The 4,462 homes split across two distinct government schemes, and the distinction matters for who should apply where. Under the 15% Social Housing Scheme, 1,491 homes are reserved specifically for Economically Weaker Section and Low Income Group applicants. The remaining stock falls under the 20% Inclusive Housing Scheme, spread across projects within both Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits. Advertised prices span a wide range, from roughly ₹11 lakh to ₹64 lakh, depending on the specific project, location, category, and unit size.
Individual project listings give a clearer picture than the headline range alone. Celestia in Fursungi (scheme code 952) offers 2 BHK units with a built-up area around 75.42 sq m and carpet area of 47.36 sq m, priced near ₹29.09 lakh with a ₹20,000 EMD, currently listed as under construction. Prasun Elara in Lohegaon (scheme code 954) offers similarly sized 2 BHK homes with built-up areas between 81.46 and 83.44 sq m, open to categories including Freedom Fighter, General Public, and MHADA Employees.
Unique Skylights Phase 1 in Pashan (scheme code 906) lists 2 BHK units with carpet areas from 36.94 to 41.60 sq m, priced between roughly ₹23.09 lakh and ₹26.92 lakh, though availability here is limited to the Freedom Fighter category specifically. If you're comparing options, checking which category each individual project actually accepts applicants under matters just as much as the headline price, since not every scheme is open to General Public applicants.
Eligibility here isn't just about income, it's structured to prioritise genuine first-time buyers. You cannot apply if you or your immediate family already own a residential property within the same region, the rule exists specifically to keep the benefit away from people who already have housing and toward those who don't. For this particular lottery, income proof needs to cover the period from August 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, and can be submitted either as an income tax return or an income certificate issued by the tehsildar.
Beyond the general and income-based categories, MHADA also reserves allotments across SC, ST, NT-DT, Freedom Fighter, Persons with Physical Disabilities, Defence Family, Ex-Servicemen, MHADA Employees, State Government, Central Government, and Artist categories, though not every individual scheme offers every category.
The application itself carries a modest, non-refundable fee of roughly ₹500 plus GST. Separately, you'll need to pay an Earnest Money Deposit at the time of application, which varies by category and project but commonly runs around ₹20,000 for the mid-range units listed above, and can range up to ₹75,000 or more for higher-value categories elsewhere in MHADA's broader scheme structure.
If your name isn't drawn, the EMD is refunded automatically to your registered bank account, typically within 7 to 15 working days and no later than 30, so the deposit isn't a sunk cost if you don't win. It's worth double-checking your bank details and a cancelled cheque are uploaded correctly at application time, since incorrect banking information is one of the most common reasons refunds get delayed.
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This process runs on fixed dates that MHADA doesn't typically extend, so missing one effectively means waiting for the next scheme. Applications opened August 24, 2026 at noon and close September 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm, though if you're paying via RTGS or NEFT specifically, you get until bank working hours on September 16.
MHADA will publish a provisional list of accepted applicants on September 29 at 7 pm, followed by a window to raise claims or objections through October 1 at 5 pm if you spot an error in your own listing. The final accepted-applicant list goes up October 8 at 7 pm, ahead of the computerised lottery draw itself on October 13, 2026 at 11 am.
Government lottery housing in Maharashtra has been drawing genuinely intense demand this year, and it's worth knowing the scale before you apply so your expectations are realistic. MHADA's Mumbai Board lottery earlier in 2026, offering 2,640 homes, pulled in more than 88,000 applications, roughly 33 applicants for every available unit.
This Pune round is separate from, and larger than, the 792-flat Pune Board lottery MHADA ran back in June, and separate again from an earlier proposed scheme of around 3,000 flats, so it's worth being careful not to confuse this specific 4,462-home lottery with either of those when you're checking your application status later.
The appeal of a scheme like this is straightforward: Government-allotted flats typically price meaningfully below comparable private-market stock in the same micro-markets, and MHADA's process, however bureaucratic, is transparent and lottery-based rather than dependent on broker relationships or negotiation leverage. The trade-off is real too, unit sizes tend to run smaller than comparable private options, and possession timelines on under-construction projects can move slower than a private developer's marketed schedule.
If you're comparing this against a similar government housing push elsewhere, it's a pattern that looks familiar if you've followed how Delhi's DDA has been running its own affordable scheme cycle this year. Oversubscription, fixed application windows, and a genuine price gap against the open market all show up there too, suggesting this isn't a Maharashtra-specific phenomenon but a broader pattern in how India's urban housing authorities are managing demand right now.
