(a) whether a working group of National Advisory Council (NAC) has stressed that slum dweller should be resettled at
the spot where they are currently living;
(b) if so, the present progress of rehabilitation of slum dwellers across the country;
(c) whether the objective of the Government to make urban India free of slums would be achieved within any specific period ; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF HOUSING & URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION (KUMARI SELJA)
(a): the draft recommendations of the Working Group of the National Advisory Council that were placed in Public domain
stressed that the decision about whether the settlement is untenable and relocation of the slum absolutely necessary should
be made after due process – which is transparent, participatory and fair. Therefore displacement should be seen as a last resort,
after all other options are ruled out in a transparent manner.
The Recommendations of Working Group are yet to be finalized by the National Advisory Council.
(b) (C) &(d): Rehabilitation of slum dwellers is a state subject. However a new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been
launched on 02.06.2011. This scheme envisages provision of support for shelter and basic civic & social services for slum
redevelopment and creation of affordable housing stock to states willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers. The
Phase I of Rajiv Awas Yojana is for a period of two years from the date of approval of the scheme with a budget of ` 5,000
crores. The Scheme is expected to cover about 250 cities, across the entire country by the end of 12th Plan (2017). The selection
of the cities will be done in consultation with the Centre. The States would be required to include all the mission cities of JNNURM,
preferably cities with more than 3 lakh population as per 2001 Census; and other smaller cities, with due consideration to the pace
of growth of the city, of slums, predominance of minority population, and areas where property rights are assigned. The scheme will
progress at the pace set by the States.