A first of its kind report, it has been prepared with the support of UNDP and by eminent academicians and researchers under the supervision of JNU professor Amitabh Kundu.
As the poverty rates in the country declined below 5 percent in 2024, a research study by State Bank of India also highlighted that the extreme poverty in the country has been reduced to minimal.
The government is finalising a policy for urban areas that will encourage the role of private players to make owning a house affordable in towns and cities.
Tourism and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja has welcomed the proposals made in the Union Budget 2010-2011 in tourism and housing & urban poverty alleviation sectors.
Noted housing finance expert Deepak Parekh will head an eight-member committee appointed on Tuesday by the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation to discuss the draft guidelines of government's ambitious Rajiv Awas Yojana which aims to make the country slum-free.
For promoting a planned and healthy real estate development of colonies and apartments in big cities, union housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry has drafted a bill and invited suggestions from experts.
'Previously, contributing only 25 per cent of material costs, states now face burdens of 40 per cent to 100 per cent of total costs, ensuring poorer states will curb project approvals, directly stifling work demand.'
The commission in its report 'Local Governance' noted that poverty was a 'pernicious and distressing feature' and in urban areas it is 'excruciatingly visible.' "That the eradication of the poverty should receive the topmost priority of urban local bodies cannot be over-emphasised," the commission in its report said.
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Aiming at empowering the urban poor with legal rights, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is initiating steps to provide property entitlements to them.
There is a shortage of 24.7 million housing units in urban areas at the beginning of the 11th Five Year Plan. Admitting the flaws in the housing sector planning for the huge gap between demand and supply, Selja said unfortunately the private sector only focuses on high-end housing and ignores low cost units.
"The government is planning such a scheme (for urban poor)," minister of state for planning V Narayanasamy told reporters after assuming charge of his ministry in New Delhi on Wednesday. Under the NREGA scheme, which was launched in February 2006, the government provides 100 days of assured employment in a year to at least one person in a rural household.
This could bring down the average approval time from the current 196 days to 45-60 days.
The long-pending legislation that seeks to protect home-buyers from fly-by-night developers is likely to be sent to the Union Cabinet for its approval during the Winter Session of Parliament.
Union Tourism and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja said, "The thrust area for the government will be creation and improvement of tourism infrastructure, promotion and publicity of India as a preferred destination in overseas markets, promotion of domestic tourism and most importantly employment generation." On housing and urban poverty alleviation, the JNNURM with approval of projects of nearly Rs 50,000 crore is reshaping our cities, she said.
On the action taken by the government to construct more houses for the poor, she informed the House that a new scheme has been launched for providing interest subsidy to make housing affordable and within the repaying capacity of the economically weaker section and low income group.
Ajay Maken on Saturday night resigned as a Union minister -- ahead of the reshuffle of the Council of Ministers and that of the All India Congress Committee -- expected next week.
Private players may soon be roped in for developing slums under the Manmohan Singh government's ambitious Rajiv Awas Yojna.
"The government has decided to introduce the Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers and the urban poor," Kumari Selja, minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation, said. The scheme would extend support to states that are willing to assign property rights to people living in slum areas. The government's efforts would be to create a slum-free India, which also envisages the states preparing their own time-bound plans to make the cities and towns slum free, she said.
The Union ministry of housing & urban poverty alleviation has refused to dilute the penalties to be imposed on non-compliant promoters in the final version of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, despite industry opposition to the concept of sending the offender to jail.
Government is planning to allow foreign direct investment in the construction sector, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday deprecated the practice of announcing freebies prior to elections, and said people were not willing to work as they were getting free ration and money.
This is the first time the Union government will be taking the help of foreign experts for slum development, according to sources in the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation.
Concept of a real estate Bill has been around in the government for almost 10 years now.
UN-Habitat is an important organ of the UN system dealing with all issues relating to human settlements.
My aim will be to get the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, recently cleared by the cabinet, tabled and passed in Parliament, says Girija Vyas.
A study conducted by CBRS reveals there are abundant homes lying vacant in urban India.
Lok Sabha passed a bill to regulate street vending activities and protect the rights of urban street vendors, including against harassment by police and municipal authorities.
We ask you to rate the pradhan sevak and his ministers on four criteria: Vision. Execution. Efficiency. And their response to the public.
A map showing the number of homeless persons per 1000 population in districts across India.
The government has no proposal at present to release the report of the caste census carried out in 2011, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Full list of the rejigged Union Council of Ministers
Gautam Gambhir to bear educational expenses of Sukma bravehearts' children.
The real estate sector wants "high-impact" measures, like special schemes and tax breaks for developers, to revive the fortunes of the affordable housing segment in the country, multiple executives told Business Standard. This segment has been struggling since the Covid-19 outbreak, in contrast to larger and costlier homes which have been selling like hot cakes. The demand comes at a time when the government is taking suggestions from industry players before tabling the General Budget in the Parliament next month.
Parrikar also said that if anybody decides to attack India, he will not remain silent.
While data can empower communities, it reinforces identities, making local politics more caste-centric, with decisions increasingly contested on the grounds of representation.
Such dynamics could lead to shifting alliances and, in the worst case, local governance getting paralysed as each group demands proportional power-sharing, explain Amitabh Kundu and Mehebub Rahaman.
Union minister Babul Supriyo was on Friday injured when the motorcycle he was driving hit a SUV near southwest Delhi's Subroto Park area.
As many as 2,508 cities in 26 states have been selected under 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana' for providing affordable houses to the urban poor.
UD Ministry will also give priority to linking of twin cities and infrastructure development of satellite towns and cleaning of religious cities across the country.
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