The government will go beyond the city-centric approach to promote regional planning in peripheral areas to ensure housing for the urban poor by 2022, Union minister Babul Supriyo said today.
It acknowledges the problems being faced in the urban areas and strives to solve them in an "integrated and goal-centric manner" to meet the housing demand, he said.
"The government will promote regional planning by moving beyond city-centric planning for construction of houses in satellite townships, peri-urban and peripheral areas to meet the housing demand in urban areas," Supriyo, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA), said.
He was addressing an international workshop, organised by HUPA Ministry, on 'Human Settlements -Planning and Design: A Shared Understanding' here.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Pradan (PMAY)-Urban launched last June, two crore houses for the urban poor are to be built by 2022.
The Centre is "committed to ensuring" housing for urban poor in the next six years, the minister said, observing that "the government while acknowledging problems in urban areas is striving to solve them in an integrated and goal-centric manner".
He stressed the need to assist the poor even in remote and far off places in planning, design and construction of safe and resilient houses.
HUPA Ministry Secretary Nandita Chatterjee said the the department is "close to finalising a pro-active, practical and pragmatic" Rental Housing Policy keeping in view that 27 per cent of the demand is for such rental housing.
She emphasised on the need for effective planning and design so as to meet the housing needs of all sections of the people in the context of rising costs of land, labour and availability of materials.
Chatterjee noted that to move beyond city-centric planning for housing, construction of houses under PMAY (Urban) is being allowed in areas which go beyond city limits.
Apart from India, representatives from eight countries --Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Fiji-- attended the workshop for sharing of ideas and experiences in respect of housing among the Asia-Pacific countries.
