Centre takes first step to make India slum-free

Rajiv Awas Yojana — United Progressive Alliance-2’s flagship programme to make India slum-free might finally take off for implementation, a year after it was announced.

Rajiv Awas Yojana — United Progressive Alliance-2’s flagship programme to make India slum-free might finally take off for implementation, a year after it was announced.

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The Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry — the nodal ministry to implement the programme — has finally sent the scheme to the Centre’s Expenditure and Finance Committee (EFC) for clearance last month.

The committee would look into the scheme’s aspects — financing pattern, contribution of the centre and the state and the private participation model that would be adapted — before clearing it.

“Sending to EFC is the first hurdle. Once EFC clears it, the scheme would be sent to the Cabinet and once the latter gives the go-ahead, the ministry would start implementing the scheme in a phase wise manner,” said a ministry official.

The housing ministry has completed some of the groundwork, which includes conducting survey across the country to come up with the exact slum count, which is expected to touch 9.3 crore by 2011.

On the other hand, the states have to frame legislation to accord property rights to slum dwellers, prepare detailed project reports before the funds are released.

RAY was sanctioned R1,270 crore in this year’s budget. Last year, too, R120 crore was sanctioned for the project but the ministry could utilise just half of it and had to surrender the remaining amount as schemes meant for it were not in place.