RAJYA SABHA
The Minister of State for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja informed the Rajya Sabha today, in a written reply to a question by Dr. (Smt.) Najma A Heptulla & Shri Mahendra Mohan that the Technical Group (11th Five Year Plan: 2007-2012) on estimation of urban housing shortage has estimated urban housing shortage as 2.89 million dwelling units for the Lower Income Groups (LIG) out of total urban housing shortage of 24.71 million dwelling units as on 2007. In percentage terms the housing shortage for LIG in urban areas is 11.70% of total urban housing shortage as on 2007.
Housing being a State subject, it is primarily the responsibility of the State governments. However, the Central Government has been taking several initiatives for addressing the issue of housing shortage time to time. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) structured for a seven year period (2005-06 to 2011-12), the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) programme seeks to provide housing and basic services to the urban poor in 63 selected Mission Cities and the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) makes a similar provision for non-mission cities. Houses at affordable cost for Lower Income Groups (LIG) is an identified component under both these Schemes. Further, the government with a view to provide interest rate subsidy for housing loan availed by urban poor categorized as Economically weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG) has made a budget provision of Rs. 30 crore for the financial year 2007-08.
The Minister further informed that the Technical Group has estimated the shortfall in urban area for the Middle Income Group (MIG) along with Higher Income Group (HIG) as 0.04 million dwelling units in the country as on 2007.
Keeping in view the changing socio-economic parameters of the urban areas and growing requirement of shelter and related infrastructure, it has been decided to have a new National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy in place of the existing National Housing Policy 1998. The draft national urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2007 inter-alia provides for strong partnership among private, public and cooperative sectors and facilitates to bridge the gap between demand and supply of housing and infrastructure.
RM/AS-PQ2-LIG-USQ 1090
(Release ID :33413)