The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja has said that a Technical Group constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has estimated urban housing shortage at the beginning of Eleventh Plan as 24.71 million households in 2007 which is projected to increase to 26.53 million by the end of 11^th Five Year Plan. Category-wise and State-wise details are annexed.

            In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha she said, housing being a State subject, it is for the State Governments to undertake programmes to improve housing facilities in urban areas.  However, to address the problems and issues of affordable housing and basic services to the urban poor, the Government of India has launched the following schemes in the recent past:

§    The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), launched on 3.12.2005, supports provision of housing and basic services to urban poor in 65 select cities under the Sub Mission of Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) and in other cities and towns under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP).

§  A new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY), launched on 02.06.2011, seeks to provide financial assistance to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment and for creation of affordable housing stock.

§  The Scheme of Affordable Housing in Partnership, launched in 2009, seeks construction of 1 million houses for EWS/LIG/Middle Income Group (MIG) with at least 25% for EWS Category.   The Scheme has been dovetailed with RAY.

§  The Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP), launched in 2008, provides for 5% interest subsidy on housing loans upto 1 lakh rupees to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Group (LIG) for the purposes of construction/acquisition of houses. The Scheme has also been dovetailed with RAY.

           Under Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) components of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) against the 7-year Mission Period allocation of Rs. 23184.66 crore for 2005-1012, Rs. 22796.57 crores have been committed as Central Share and Rs. 13547.24 crores have been released to States/Union Territories(UTs). As per progress reports received from the States/UTs, Rs. 7993.63 crore have been utilised.

Annexure

The distribution of the housing shortage amongst the States as on 2007 is as follows:

(Dwelling units in million)                               

                        Source: Report of the Technical Group on Estimation of Housing Shortage

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