New National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy on the Anvil: Kumari Selja
The Government is finalizing new National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy to tackle housing shortage in the country. Addressing a two-day National Conference on ‘Affordable Housing for All’here today,the Minister of State (Independent Charge) Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja said that the new Policy is based on the feedback from the Sectoral developments since 1998. She said that promotion of sustainable cities through adequate provisions of housing and related infrastructure is the need of the hour.
Expressing concern over the wide gape in urban housing and infrastructure, the Minister said that over Rs. 4,00,000 crore are needed for housing alone and a large amount is needed for infrastructure also. She said that arrangements of this magnitude of funds were not possible within budgetary allocation of Central and State Governments.
Kumari Selja said that the proposed policy recognizes the key role which all actors; public, private and the cooperative sectors need to play in meeting the housing shortage. It envisages a facilitative role for the state and a direct and proactive role for the other players. The Minister said that there was a shortage of about 24.71 lakh houses at the beginning of 11th Plan and the gap is expected to increase to 26 million at the end of 11th Plan. Underlining the importance of real sector in the housing sector, she said there is a great significance of real estate in the housing development and development of the economy. The Indian economy has shown impressive growth rate of GDP over 9%, the real sector in the country is also booming. The rapid urbanization will continue to fuel the real estate boom in India, she added.
The function is being organized by National Real Estate Development Council and aims to bring all stakeholders on one platform and share and deliberate upon the issues, concerns and opportunities in housing sector, to reduce the widening gap between housing demand and supply in the country and make housing affordable for all, especially the low income and economically weaker sector in the society.
NSK/DT
(Release ID :26642)