With an estimated three crore people having been identified as homeless, government will soon come out with a scheme to provide housing to all, government said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah 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 is committed to provide housing to all by 2022.
As part of the efforts, Mr. Naidu said, government is also working on integrated housing for urban poor where private sector will also be encouraged to participate. The state governments were being encouraged to provide certain relaxations for the participation of the private sector.
Responding to supplementary questions, he said the government is working on a slum rehabilitation development plan after studying models of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Hailing the Tamil Nadu model, he said the state has shown the way by constructing vertical buildings for the slum dwellers in cities such as Chennai.
He said his ministry would soon move the Union Cabinet to approve the plan where free houses would be provided to slum dwellers on land they are occupying. The private sector will be involved in the redevelopment plan.
Responding to another supplementary, he said a long-term plan is afoot to provide power, water, irrigation and housing for the rural populace and the Rural Development Ministry is working on the issue.
Mr. Naidu said following a Supreme Court directive on providing shelter to homeless in winters, he had convened a meeting of chief secretaries of all states to take stock of the situation.
Referring to Delhi, he said work in this regard has been carried out but it is an ongoing process. The DDA was asked to provide 15 plots out of which 12 have already been handed over for shelters.
He said while the land will remain with government, it will be given on lease of Re 1. He, however, did not specify the period of the lease.
