The Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) is a registered society and welfare body of the Indian Army that develops residential housing for serving and retired personnel of the Army, their dependents and, in certain cases, members of the other defence services. It functions on a no-profit-no-loss basis under the aegis of the Adjutant General's Branch at Army Headquarters, New Delhi.
| Name | Army Welfare Housing Organisation |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AWHO |
| Type | Registered society; welfare organisation of the Indian Army |
| Parent body | Adjutant General's Branch, Army Headquarters |
| Country | India |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Operating principle | No-profit-no-loss |
| Beneficiaries | Serving and retired Army personnel, war widows and dependents |
Defence personnel face frequent transfers and limited opportunities to acquire owned housing during service. To address this long-standing welfare concern, the Indian Army established AWHO as a self-financing housing society. Allotment is made to eligible applicants who register for specific projects and contribute the cost of the dwelling unit in instalments linked to construction stages.
Eligibility for AWHO dwelling units extends to serving and retired officers, junior commissioned officers and other ranks of the Indian Army, as well as widows of personnel killed in action. Officers and personnel of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, and certain paramilitary categories, are accommodated subject to availability and the rules of individual projects. Allotment is generally on a seniority-cum-priority basis, with reserved categories for war widows and battle casualties.
AWHO has executed housing projects in numerous Indian cities, including Delhi NCR (Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida), Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Mohali, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Secunderabad and several other locations close to military stations. Projects typically include landscaped layouts, community facilities and provisions for security suited to defence community living.
AWHO is among the largest welfare housing initiatives undertaken by any government service in India. By aggregating demand from defence personnel and undertaking projects on a not-for-profit basis, it has enabled a significant number of soldiers and officers to acquire homes after retirement, supporting resettlement after service.