The Minister for Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Kumari Selja
has said that Housing and Slum development being State subjects,
it is for the States to provide housing and basic facilities like drinking
water, electricity and sanitation etc depending upon their priorities and
availability of financial resources etc. However, Government launched
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005 to
assist States/ Union
Territories for
undertaking programmes for provision of housing and basic services to urban
poor/slum dwellers under Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) in 65 select
cities including Mumbai and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme
(IHSDP) - in other cities/towns. The duration of JNNURM was 7 years beginning
from 2005-06. The Government has approved the extension of JNNURM by 2 years upto the end of financial year 2013-14 for completion of
projects sanctioned upto March, 2012 and
implementation of 3 pro-poor reforms. State-wise estimated population who live
in slums in the country as per “Committee on Slum Statistics/Census”
constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is
annexed.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today Kumari Selja said, a total of
1615 projects, 529 under BSUP and 1086 under IHSDP, have been approved so far
for construction of 1602387 houses, 10,31,856 under BSUP and 570531 under
IHSDP, and other related civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, community
toilets, street lighting etc across the country.
She said, a
new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been launched in June 2011. The Scheme
provides financial assistance to States that are willing to assign property
rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and
social services for slum redevelopment, and for creation of affordable housing
stock.
Slums being a State subject, it is upto the Government of Maharashtra to take steps to address the issues of slums, including Dharavi, availing allocation under JNNURM and RAY and mobilising State and Local Body funds, the Minister added.
Slums being a State subject, it is upto the Government of Maharashtra to take steps to address the issues of slums, including Dharavi, availing allocation under JNNURM and RAY and mobilising State and Local Body funds, the Minister added.
