Focus on cities for rapid economic
growth while addressing sustainability and climate change issues
Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu releases ‘India
Habitat III-National Report’ ahead of Habitat III meet
Over 10 lakh houses for urban poor
sanctioned in one year; as many as during 9 years of JNNURM, says Minister
The Government
today made public the Urban Development strategy for the next 20 years
intending to give a big push to use growing urbanization for rapid economic
development while at the same time committing itself to address issues of
sustainable development and climate change. Minister of Housing & Urban
Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu released ‘India Habitat III-National
Report’ ahead of the UN Habitat III Conference in Quito, Ecuador late this month
where a global New Urban Agenda for the next 20 years is going to be adopted.
Speaking on the
occasion of World Habitat Day, Shri Naidu said “The challenge is about ensuring
sustainable development while taking advantage of economic growth that results
from rapid urbanization in the country. For long, urbanization has been looked
at from the limited perspective of providing basic services. But our
contemporary response shall be wide ranging aiming at serving larger
macro-economic transformational goals together with meeting local priorities.
We need to go for a big push to harness fully the potential of urbanization”.
Stating that
cities need to be made efficient, productive, inclusive, safe and sustainable,
Shri Naidu said the agenda for the next two decades proposed in the National
Report will be ensuring economic growth and productivity, improving quality of
life and importantly, addressing issues of inclusivity, sustainability and
climate change.
Elaborating on
the strategy for transforming urban India, the Minister said it will be
achieved through elimination of barriers to the flow of factors of production
like capital, land and labour, development of rural and urban areas in a
synergetic manner adopting a ‘regional planning approach’, promoting inclusivity
by ensuring urban services to all, sustainable urban planning, empowering
municipalities to improve governance and deal with exclusion issues, housing
for all urban poor and ensuring social justice and gender equity.
Shri Naidu said
that the outcomes of new urban agenda based on sustainable urban planning would
include reducing water and electricity use by 50% from that of normal use,
enabling over 60% of urban travel by public transport, generating half
of power from renewable sources, promoting walking and cycling for last mile
connectivity, compact and cluster urban development, promoting natural drainage
patterns, reducing waste generation of all kind, promoting greenery and public
places etc.
Referring to
India ratifying Paris Agreement on Climate Change yesterday, Shri Naidu said
‘’It is an eloquent testimony of India’s commitment to sustainable
development”.
Referring to the
theme of this year’s Word Habitat Day of ‘Housing at Centre’, Shri Naidu
informed that under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) launched in June last
year, construction of 10,10,424 houses for urban poor has been approved which
is close to 10.30 lakh houses approved during the nine years of JNNURM during
2005-14. An investment of Rs.59,771 cr has been approved with Central
Assistance of Rs.14,955 cr, he said.
Shri Naidu
further said that new urban missions launched over the last two years marked a
paradigm shift in the country’s approach to urban development and were aimed at
promotion and development of urban human settlements as inclusive and
sustainable entities.
Minister of
State for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri Rao Inderjit Singh and
Secretary(HUPA) Dr.Nandita Chatterjee also spoke on the occasion.
Differently
abled children who have won in the painting competitions organized on the theme
of World Habitat Day were felicitated by the Ministers.
AAR/KM