Centre to launch Rajiv Awas Yojana for constructing houses for city slum-dwellers
New Delhi:Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, said on Thursday that the
government plans to launch the Rajiv Awas Yojana for constructing houses for city slum-dwellers. "We hope to launch the ambitious Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna that will
strive to create a formal space for the slum-dwellers within the city and transform
and redevelop our cities to make them slum-free," the Prime Minister said at the
fourth Anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission Scheme. The Prime
Minister stressed the need to improve the financial health of the urban bodies
to improve the city life. "Improving the financial health of our municipalities
is a priority. The states should fulfil their obligation to devolve functions
and finances to municipal bodies. State Finance Commissions have to be set up
periodically and their recommendations implemented in both letter and spirit.
Urban bodies, on their part, should review and rationalise their taxation structure
and augment their resources," said the Prime Minister. The government has allocated
funds for bus transport, water supply, sewerage, drainage, and improvement of
slums and construction of houses for the poor. In the next 20 years, the urban
population of India is likely to double.
