(September 14, 2009) India has a massive population of 62 million slumdwellers but
it aims to be free of shanties through a series of schemes, said housing and urban
poverty alleviation minister Kumari Selja said on Saturday in New Delhi. Listing
the achievements of her ministry in the last 100 days, she said that when her government
came to power in 2004, it had prioritized the needs of the urban poor. She said states
have now recognised that they need to plan for them. With the aim of moving towards
slum free status, she said they have launched the Rajiv Awas Yojna that aims to provide
incentives to states that want to make their cities slum free. Under the scheme, slum
dwellers will be given property rights. Selja, who also holds the tourism ministry
portfolio, said about 16 states have issued directives to reserve more than 20 percent
of developed land in both public and private housing projects for the urban poor.
She said some half a million houses for slumdwellers are in the process of completion.
About 48 cities in 21 states have undertaken earmarking of funds for the urban poor
in their cities. India’s Planning Commission has enhanced its allocation to the ministry
by Rs.5,043 crore. The ministry has also launched a new scheme of affordable housing
in partnership, with an outlay of Rs.5,000 crore for construction of one million houses
for the economically weaker sections.