Centre to launch `housing for all’ scheme soon: Venkaiah Naidu

The government will soon come out with a scheme to provide housing for an estimated three crore people identified as homeless, as it rolls out a scheme to provide housing to all, urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.

Naidu said he will shortly take the proposal to the union cabinet for its approval and share details with the House.

He said the Narendra Modi government has targeted to provide housing to all by 2022.

Naidu said the government is also working on an integrated housing scheme for the urban poor where the private sector will also be encouraged to participate.

The state governments were being encouraged to provide certain relaxations in floor space index for ensuring participation of the private sector, he added.

Responding to supplementary questions, he said the government is working on a slum rehabilitation development plan after studying the experience of states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

He said his ministry is also weighing plans to offer free housing to slum dwellers on lands they occupy and that the private sector would be involved in the redevelopment plan.

Alongside, the minister said, the rural development ministry is also working on a long-term plan to provide power, water, irrigation and housing for rural people.

On the issue of providing shelter to homeless in winter as directed by the Supreme Court, Naidu said he had convened a meeting of chief secretaries of all states to take stock of the situation.

Referring to Delhi, he said, DDA has been asked to identify 15 plots out of which 12 have already been handed over for shelters.

The plan is to keep the land with the government and lease it on Re1 rent, he said, without specifying the period of the lease.