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Hudco to execute dwelling units project, says Jatia

Union Minister for Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Dr Satya Narain Jatia has said that an ambitious house-building programme would be taken up soon to provide dwelling units for the poor.

He said housing, including Housing and Urban Development Corporation, was a part of his ministry. Jatia was committed to implementing the National Housing and Habitat Policy approved in June 1998 which aimed at providing 2 million houses annually to the poor. Of these, 700,000 are to be built in urban areas and the rest in rural areas, through the ministry of rural development.

Jatia said that at the present rate, the ministry expects to largely fulfil the shelter needs of the poor within ten years. The house-building target would be achieved predominantly through Hudco. So far, Hudco had constructed 7.5 million homes for the poor.

He indicated that his ministry would also lay stress on private sector participation in housing.

Providing an idea about his ministry, Jatia said urban employment programmes such as the Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojna, incorporating former urban poverty alleviation schemes such as Nehru Rojgar Yojna, urban basic services for the poor, the Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Programme for Eradication of Poverty and slum improvement programmes fell under its domain.

The SJSRY had an annual allocation of Rs 1.82 billion. Under it, the urban poor could be provided loans for self-employment.

The minister said the government had made an allocation of Rs 5 billion for the development of notified slums. He was determined to implement the National Slum Development Policy and all programmes to ameliorate the conditions of slum-dwellers.

UNI

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