The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Six lakh houses for weaker sections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 20, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Six lakh houses for weaker sections

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, AUG. 19. The Government has set a target of 6 lakh houses for this year under the weaker section housing programme and increased both unit cost and income-limit for offsetting the burden and the risks on beneficiaries due to inflation.

These decisions were taken by the Cabinet here today while approving the new housing policy accepting in toto the recommendations of the seven-member Cabinet committee on the subject headed by the Revenue Minister, D. Prasada Rao.

Youth policy

The meeting also considered the draft youth policy, which was submitted to the Chief Minister earlier by another sub-committee. The policy would be finalised after taking suggestions from the public up to November 1.

Deviating from the committee report, the Cabinet effected a change in the quota for different castes/communities, bringing "economically backward classes (EBC)" and minorities under the system. As per this, 36 per cent of the total number of houses constructed in the rural area would be allotted to SCs, 14 per cent to STs, 33 per cent to BCs, 10 per cent to EBCs and 7 per cent to minorities. In case of urban housing, the quotas for SCs, STs and EBCs would remain the same, but that of the BCs would dwindle to 20 per cent. The quota for minority as in this category would be 20 per cent.

Unit cost up

At a press-briefing later, the Information & Public Relations Minister, Mohd Ali Shabbir, said the unit cost for rural housing had been increased to Rs. 25,000 from Rs. 22,500 and that for urban areas to Rs. 40,000 from Rs. 30,000. The income-limit of the beneficiary had been raised to Rs. 18,000 from Rs. 13,000 per year in case of rural housing and to Rs. 28,000 from Rs. 20,000 for urban one.

Mr. Shabbir said the MLA of the area concerned would select the beneficiaries to the tune of 50 per cent and the district incharge Minister would select the other beneficiaries. The district managers of the programme would furnish the list of beneficiaries under the implementation so far to the MLAs.

The dwellings would be constructed under both categories in clusters with a minimum of 20 and constructions in scattered pattern would be allowed only if the layouts were not available.

A striking feature of the new policy, the Minister said, was that the Government would take it "as its responsibility" to provide houses to the victims of natural calamities such as heavy rain.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh