PM assesses preparations towards “Housing For All”

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
15-May, 2018 15:47 IST
First Apex Conference for Smart City CEOs gives fillip to the pace of Progess of Smart City Mission projects

AFD launches Programme to fund Smart City projects: 100 million Euro made available to Finance 30 – 80 selected Projects

The first apex conference for Smart City CEOs, held in Bhopal last week from 8-9th May 2018 emphasized on cross learning amongst the Smart City CEOs to accelerate the progress of the Smart City Mission projects. The two-day conference provided a unique platform for the city leaders and various stakeholders in the Smart Cities Mission for convergence of ideas and sharing of best practices which will enable other’s to fast track their Smart city projects.

During the Conference, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) launched their Programme to fund Smart City projects through a challenge process. They have made available Euro 100 million to finance 30- 80 selected projects, and Euro 6 million will be available for technical support. The objective is to promote sustainability, innovation and participatory approaches in the Smart Cities.

Seven Smart Cities showcased their projects in an exhibition organized at the conference. Detailed panel discussions across the following nine themes took place during the First Apex Conference of Smart City CEOs:

1. 1. Development of walkable streets
   2. Creation of universally accessible public spaces
   3. Digitally Integrated Smart City Centers
   4. Creating Vibrant Urban Spaces (Waterfronts, Squares and Plazas)
   5. Addressing women safety in Smart Cities
   6. Promotion of Arts, Crafts and Culture in Smart Cities
   7. Smart Education and Skill Development
   8. Inclusive cities
   9. PPP and Bonds for Urban Infrastructure

The CEO’s Conference also focused on implementation of the following –



Smart City Centres: To be conceptualized with usefulness in mind: for citizens, businesses, decision makers and stakeholders. Uses could include information capturing and its analysis, monitoring and decision-making while making no compromise on integration aspect



Area Based Development (ABD): To integrate as many elements as possible including smart streets, impactful (experiential) projects.



Human Resources: The PMC professionals to regularly upgrade skills.



Way forward: For speedy implementation focus to be on tendering activity and planning and preparation of charts of milestones and timelines to avoid time overruns. To ensure completion of liveability survey and using the resulting data for evidence based planning and thereafter work on financial aspects.



During the event, the Bhopal Smart City also launched a cloud-based Common Integrated Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Centre and Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC). This will help to monitor and administer several utilities and citizen services across seven cities in the state: Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain, Satna, and Sagar. An incubation centre, to promote entrepreneurial spirit amongst youth, researchers, engineers and society at large, was also launched.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
16-May, 2018 18:22 IST
Hardeep Puri Congratulates Swachhata Survekshan 2018 Winners – Indore, Bhopal & Chandigarh Emerge as The Top 3 Cleanest Cities in The Country

4203 Urban Local Bodies assessed for SS-2018 Impacting around 40 Crore Urban Citizens 53.58 Lakh Swachhata app downloaded & 37.66 Lakh Citizens feedback collected 35% each weightage given to citizen feedback & service level progress ; 30% weightage to direct observation 1.18 Crore Citizens Usage on Swachhtha App Swacch Surveskshan 2018 – Results Announced

Shri Hardeep Puri, Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs has congratulated the winners of Swachh Survekshan 2018 while announcing the results at the National Media Centre here today. The Swachh Survekshan 2018 assessed 4203 Urban Local Bodies and was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The exercise undertaken between 4th January 2018 to 10th March, 2018 enhanced the scope to cover a record number of Urban Local Bodies impacting around 40 crore urban citizens across length and breadth of the country by 2700 assessors. As compared to 2017 where Swachh Survekshan was conducted in 434 cities, this year the scope was enhanced manifold. Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Shri V,K.Jindal, Mission Director of SBM-Urban besides officers from the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs were also present at the function.



During Swachh Survekshan 2018, a record number of 37.66 lakh citizen feedbacks were collected and 53.58 lakh Swachhata Apps downloaded. The total number of interactions on Swachhata App by citizens were around 1.18 crore. In 2016, Swachh Survekshan was conducted in 73 cities having a population of one million or more and capital city of States/ UTs and Mysore had bagged the award of being the cleanest city of India. In 2017, the scope of Swachh Survekshan was enlarged to cover 434 cities having a population of one lakh or more and Capital city of states/ UTs and Indore was awarded as cleanest city of India.

The on-field survey for Swachh Survekshan has been conducted by an independent agency and the data for ranking of the cities collected from 3 sources:

1. Service Level Progress: To verify whether systems and processes are in place in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to implement Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) in the most efficient way.

1. Direct Observation: To verify and assess general cleanliness in the cities by making random field visits in different parts of the city and public conveniences (Community/Public Toilets).

1. Citizens Feedback: To collect feedback directly from citizens and monitor the performance of Swachhata App, a citizens grievance Mobile App.

The overall and component wise weightage for Swachh Survekshan-2018 had a shift from Swachh Survekshan-2017 weightages. The weightages are produced below :

Under ‘Service Level Progress’, Swachh Surveksan-2018 has introduced one more component ‘Innovation and Best Practices’ in addition to existing five components shown below:

Citizens played a key role in the survey. Higher weightage was given on citizen feedback alongwith direct observation by assessors on the performance parameters of Swachhta by their local bodies. The focus of Swachh Survekshan 2018 was on the outcome, innovation and sustainability of initiatives taken by Urban Local Bodies under Swachh Bharat Mission. The highlights of Swachh Survekshan-2018 are as below –



1

Total number of ULBs assessed

4,203

2

Citizens feedback collected

37.66 lakhs

3

Swachhata App downloaded

53.58 lakhs

4

Complaints registered on Swachhata App by citizens

1.18 crores

5

Complaints resolved by ULBs and conveyed through App

1.13 crores

6

Number of ULBs visited by MOHUA observers to check and monitor the progress of Swachh Survekshan

63

7

Total households visited for checking segregation and Door to Door collection

94,000

8

Residential areas covered during on-ground observations

46,000

9

Households visited to verify IHHL construction

35,000

10

Commercial areas covered during on-ground observations

28,000

11

Total schools visited to check ‘Swachhata Committees’

15,000

12

Bulk Garbage Generators/RWAs/railway station and bus and auto stands visited to observe cleanliness status

11,000

13

Total processing plants including landfills visited

2,500



Cities having population of one lakh and more and capital cities were ranked at National Level and cities with population of less than one lakh were ranked at Zonal Level – North, south, East, West and North East. Based on the performance in Swacch Survekshan, 2018, it has been decided to confer awards 29 cities/ cantonment boards at National Level, 20 cities at Zonal Level and 3 states having the best performance in the urban areas. While deciding the awards, it has been kept in mind that one city gets only one award i.e the category in which it has performed the best. In case a city has already been awarded in some category, next best is awarded in the other category.

At the national level, the Top 3 cleanest cities are: (Madhya Pradesh)

• Indore
• Bhopal
• Chandigarh

The list of 52 awardees under various categories is given in Annexure.



Annexure





Award

Category

Name of the Urban Local Body (State)








National Level Awards - Total 23 Awards





1

India's Cleanest City - No.1

National

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

2

India's Cleanest City - No.2

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

3

India's Cleanest City - No.3

Chandigarh









4

India's 'Cleanest big City'

>10 Lakh

Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh)

5

India's 'Fastest Mover' big City

>10 Lakh

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh)

6

India's Best City in 'Citizens Feedback'

>10 Lakh

Kota (Rajasthan)

7

India's Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices'

>10 Lakh

Nagpur (Maharashtra)

8

India's Best City in 'Solid Waste Management

>10 Lakh

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra)








9

India's Cleanest Medium City

3 - 10 Lakh

Mysuru (Karnataka)

10

India's 'Fastest Mover' Medium City

3 - 10 Lakh

Bhiwandi (Maharashtra)

11

India's Best City in 'Citizens Feedback'

3 - 10 Lakh

Parbhani (Maharashtra)

12

India's Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices'

3 - 10 Lakh

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh)

13

India's Best City in 'Solid Waste Management

3 - 10 Lakh

Mangalore (Karnataka)









14

India's Cleanest Small City

1 - 3 Lakh

New Delhi Municipal Council

15

India's 'Fastest Mover' Small City

1 - 3 Lakh

Bhusawal (Maharashtra)

16

India's Best City in 'Citizens Feedback'

1 - 3 Lakh

Giridih (Jharkhand)

17

India's Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices'

1 - 3 Lakh

Ambikapur (Jharkhand)

18

India's Best City in 'Solid Waste Management

1 - 3 Lakh

Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh)









19

Cleanest State Capital/UT

Capital Cities/UTs

Greater Mumbai (Maharashtra)

20

Fastest Mover State Capital/UT

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

21

Best State Capital/UT in Citizens Feedback

Ranchi (Jharkhand)

22

Best State Capital/UT in 'Innovation & Best Practices'

Panaji (Goa)

23

Best State Capital/UT in 'Solid Waste Management'

Greater Hyderabad (Telangana)













Award

Category

Name of the Urban Local Body (State)








Zonal Level Awards : Total 20 Awards







North





1

Cleanest City in North Zone

<1 Lakh

Bhadson (Punjab)

2

Best City in Citizens Feedback - North Zone

<1 Lakh

Moonak (Punjab)

3

Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices' - North Zone

<1 Lakh

Gharaunda (Haryana)

4

Best City in 'Solid Waste Management' - North Zone

<1 Lakh

Samthar (Uttar Pradesh)



East





5

Cleanest City in East Zone

<1 Lakh

Bundu (Jharkhand)

6

Best City in Citizens Feedback - East Zone

<1 Lakh

Narharpur (Chhatisgarh)

7

Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices' - East Zone

<1 Lakh

Pakur (Jharkhand)

8

Best City in 'Solid Waste Management' - East Zone

<1 Lakh

Chaibasa (Jharkhand)



North-East





9

Cleanest City in NE Zone

<1 Lakh

Kakching (Manipur)

10

Best City in Citizens Feedback - NE Zone

<1 Lakh

Mayang Imphal(Manipur)

11

Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices' - NE Zone

<1 Lakh

Biate (Mizoram)

12

Best City in 'Solid Waste Management' - NE Zone

<1 Lakh

Rangpo (Sikkim)



South Zone





13

Cleanest City in South Zone

<1 Lakh

Siddipet (Telangana)

14

Best City in Citizens Feedback - South Zone

<1 Lakh

Bod Uppal (Telangana)

15

Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices' - South Zone

<1 Lakh

Peerzadiguda (Telangana)

16

Best City in 'Solid Waste Management' - South Zone

<1 Lakh

Hunsur (Karnataka)



West Zone





17

Cleanest City in West Zone

<1 Lakh

Panchgani (Maharashtra)

18

Best City in Citizens Feedback - West Zone

<1 Lakh

Shendrajanaghat (Maharashtra)

19

Best City in 'Innovation & Best Practices' - West Zone

<1 Lakh

Sasvad (Maharashtra)

20

Best City in 'Solid Waste Management' - West Zone

<1 Lakh

Ankaleswar (Gujarat)





Best Performing States : Total 3 Awards





1

Best Performing State - No.1



Jharkhand

2

Best Performing State - No.2



Maharashtra

3

Best Performing State - No.3



Chhattisgarh





Award

Category

Cantonment Board





Best Cantonment Board Awards : Total 6 Awards



1

India's Cleanest Cantonment - No.1

National

Delhi Cantt.

2

India's Cleanest Cantonment - No.2

Almora Cantt. (Uttarakhand)

3

India's Cleanest Cantonment - No.3

Ranikhet Cantt. (Uttarakhand)

4

Best Cantonment in Citizens Feedback

Nainital Cantt. (Uttarakhand)

5

Best Cantonment in 'Innovation & Best Practices'

St.Thomas Mount Cantt, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

6

Best Cantonment in 'Solid Waste Management'

Jutogh Cantt., Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)

 

[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri addressing a press conference on Swachh Survekshan 2018, in New Delhi on May 16, 2018.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri addressing a press conference on Swachh Survekshan 2018, in New Delhi on May 16, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
17-May, 2018 17:18 IST
Cities are drivers of economic growth & people living cities need to be provided with adequate housing: Vice President

Adoption of Holistic approach to urbanisation for upscaling urban infrastructure underway: Hardeep Puri

Lays foundation stone for World Trade Center& General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that cities are the drivers of economic growth and all sections of people living in the cities need to be provided with adequate housing and other essential amenities. He was addressing the gathering after laying foundation stone for the World Trade Center at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, here today. Shri Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), during his address stated that the adoption of holistic approach to urbanisation for upscaling urban infrastructure is underway. Shri Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, M/o Housing & Urban Affairs and CMD, NBCC were also present on the occasion.



Speaking after laying the foundation stone, Shri Puri said that “It is yet another proud moment for us today - a bold step in our voyage towards realising the prudent vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister for a ‘New India’ that holds the dream of a sustainable and inclusivedevelopmentof the Nation, creating world class infrastructure, energy-abundant solutions, elevated trade and business environment opportunities in the country.”

“As the idea of New India initiative goes, today’s Foundation Stone laying of Redevelopment of GPRA Colony, Netaji Nagar and the World Trade Centre in Nauroji Nagar into finest housing complexes and commercial hubs by Hon’ble Vice President, is a watershed event”, he added.“We are indeed grateful to Hon’ble Venkaiah Naidu Ji,for gracing this important occasion which shall be a great source of inspiration for all of us in future.Indeed, it was under his dynamic leadership as the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister that great strides were made in redefining the urban landscape of the country and new initiatives in redevelopment of Government colonies, promoting metro rail network in the country and great impetus in nation missions like Housing for All, Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, Ease of Doing Business and other such flagship programs was witnessed”, he further said.

NBCC, which is entrusted with the task of implementing the Netaji Nagar and Nauroji Nagar projects besides the Sarojini Nagar GPRA project, is also executing a smart sub-city in the shape of East Kidwai Nagar which is fast nearing completion. The CPWD has been entrusted with the task of implementing the 04 GPRA projects at Mohammad Pur, Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar and Sriniwaspuri. We hope to hold the foundation laying ceremony of Mohammadpur soon.

Expressing gratitude to Hon’ble Vice President for his gracious presence on this occasion and for consenting to lay the foundation stone of these 2 projects today, Shri Puri assured him that the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs would keep on exploring many more such possibilities all over India, by undertaking a holistic approach to urbanisation in order to upscale the urban infrastructure and housing stock in the entire nation.

Project Profile:

Redevelopment of Netaji Nagar on 110 acres with proposed GPRA, GPOA and SocialInfrastructure

• Seamlessly Integrated Green Landscape in an urban high rise setting to avoid a concrete jungle
• Prominence given to landscape and ease of access
• Vehicular free circulation system with no surface parking, two level basement parking for residents and visitors.
• Enhanced streetscape for a thriving & safe environment
• Equipped with ‘Smart City’ sustainable features
• GPOA blocks placed along the Ring Road with better visibility. Easy connectivity next to Metro Station
• GPOA & GPRA segregated in two parcels for independent traffic movement system
• Existing Social Infra relocated for better connectivity without disturbing the built residential development.
• Suvidha market/convenient shopping centers are distributed & strategically placed for convenience of citizen.

Sustainable Benchmark:

• A GRIHA compliance project (minimum 3-star rating).
• Efficient management of energy & water resources.
• Management of material resources and waste like garbage chute, waste compactor, construction and demolition waste plant.
• Installation of solar panel at the rooftop.
• Heat insulated glass with less energy emission.
• Installation of building management system to save energy.

Salient features:

• High speed construction with Monolithic RCC shear wall technology using aluminium framework for better finishing.
• Double height entrance lobbies.
• Zero maintenance façade finishing with stone cladding upto 3 levels.
• Granite flooring in public areas
• High quality finishing construction with UPVC glazing in GPRA &Structutal Glazing in GPOA.
• Construction as per latest life & safety norms for fire &structural design as per NBC 2016.
• Provisions of adequate balconies & cupboards.
• Open plan office layout for flexible combination or subdivision of spaces as per requirement of various department.
• Adequate parking of approximately 3500 cars in GPOA.
• Provision of central air-conditioning, Wi-Fi and IT enabled office environment.

******

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
17-May, 2018 16:02 IST
Smart Cities Mission - 1,333 projects worth Rs.50,626 crores completed or under implementation / tendering

For AMRUT out of SAAP size of Rs.77,640 crores,projects worth rs 65,075 crores (84%) under various stages of implementation including projects tendered or dprs approved

Under PMAY(U) Rs. 25,475 crores of Central asistance released to States/UTS

Under DAY- NULM Rs.1907.5 crores released

This is with reference to the article “Only 22% funds utilised in six Housing Ministry schemes” published on 12th May 2018 in a newspaper which was based on the information given to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban development. This is a misinterpretation of the statistics relating to funds released/utilisation regarding schemes/missions being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, resulting in incorrect inferences. While funds released/utilisation is part of the normal government financial procedures to ensure proper accounting systems, it is not a true barometer of the physical progress and speed of the implementation of the mission targets/objectives. Most of the schemes have large capital intensive projects with a completion time range of 1-3 years for the project.



The Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs has been able to achieve substantial milestones in both physical and financial terms in so far as mission objectives/targets are concerned. The utilization certificates are required to be submitted within 12 months of the closure of the financial year in which the grants were released. Thus,during the year 2017-18, while the total cumulative grants released was Rs.46,663 crores, Utilization Certificates were due only for the grants released upto March 2016, i.e. for approximately Rs.10,365 crores. The utilization figures, given to the Standing Committee pertained mostly to funds released upto 2015-16 as only this was due in 2017-18. In fact, at the closure of the year 2017-18, as against the due amount of Rs.10,365 crores for utilisation certificates (UCs), actual UCs for an amount of Rs.15,403 crores were received in the Ministry.This figure also included some UCs which were due in the next financial year i.e. 2018-19.

Mission wise progress of funds released, projects progress and utilisation status, etc. is given below:

Smart Cities Mission



Smart City Mission has lots of convergence with other missions like AMRUT etc. and some of the projects are implemented under Public Private Partnerships. 1,333 projects worth Rs. 50,626 crores have been completed or under implementation / tendering. Overall projects worth Rs.2,03,979 crores have been identified for all 99 smart cities across the country.



Out of 99 Smart cities which have been selected so far, 91 of them have already incorporated SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles). 9 Smart Cities viz. Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Pune, Kakinada, Surat & Nagpur have already established Integrated City Command and Control Centres (ICCC). Work is under progress on 14 more and 32 are under tendering stage .



Smart Road projects have been completed in 4 cities worth Rs.228 crores and are under implementation/tendering stage in 40 cities worth Rs. 5,123 crores. Smart Solar projects in 6 cities have been completed, while projects in 49 cities are under implementation/tendering. Smart Water projects have been completed in 6 cities while projects are under implementation/tendering in 43 cities. Similarly, Smart Waste Water projects in 46 cities have been completed/under implementation/ tendering. Public Private Partnership projects worth Rs.734 crores have been completed in 13 cities while projects worth Rs. 7,753 crores are under implementation/tendering in 52 cities. Apart from this, other impactful projects like heritage conservation, water front development, public space development etc. have been completed in 13 cities worth Rs.107 crores and projects worth Rs. 5,865 crores are under implementation/tendering.



The selection of smart cities was done in various stages with the last 9 cities been selected in Jan 2018. It is pertinent to mention that it normally takes around 12 to 18 months after selection of a city as Smart City to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle, appointment of a Project Management Consultant, prepare detailed project reports and award the work after tender. The timeline for the completion of smart city projects according to the rounds in which they were selected is given below:

• Round 1 cities- 2019-20 to 2020-21
• Round 2 cities- 2019-20 to 2021-22
• Round 3 cities- 2020-21 to 2021-22
• Round 4 cities- 2020-21 to 2022-23

AMRUT



Under AMRUT, out of State Annual Action Plan(SAAP) size of Rs.77,640 crores, projects worth Rs.65,075 crores (84%) are under various stages of implementation including projects tendered and where DPRs have been approved. More than 22 crores urban population will benefit from this mission. Total of Rs. 11,945 crores has been released so far. Close to 400 projects worth Rs.325 crores have already been completed and for 2,188 projects worth Rs.40,074 crores, contracts have been awarded and are at various stages of implementation. Further, 895 projects costing Rs.13,586 crores are under tendering and for 729 projects costing Rs.10,824 crores DPRs have been approved. Further, 8.58 lakhwater tap connections have been provided so far under the Mission and by convergence of other schemes. By the end of the Mission, i.e. June 2020, nearly 1.4 crore water taps will be provided across the country. 37 lakh street lights have been replaced with energy efficient LED lights. Around 322 green spaces and parks projects have been completed under the Mission. A Single window clearance system has been implemented in Delhi and Mumbai for construction permits, where only 8 procedures and less than 60 days are required for all approvals. Online Building Permission Systems(OBPS) is operational in 370Mission cities and is under various stages of implementation in remaining cities.

PMAY(U)



Total of Rs. 24,475crores has been released to the States under the scheme. So far, 45.86 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the scheme; out of these 23.43 lakh houses have been grounded and 7.02 lakh houses have been completed so far (including incomplete houses of earlier scheme).


DAY – NULM



Under the Mission Rs.1907.5 croreshave been released so far. The Mission has been extended to all the statutory towns. Since the beginning of the mission, employment has been generated for 6,36,956 beneficiaries. Around 11 lakh urban poor have been imparted skill training to improve their employability. A total of 2,81,197 Self-Help Groups have been formed and 1,94,879 SHGs have been assisted with Revolving Fund while 3,82,746 SHGs have been disbursed loans under SHG Bank Linkage Programme. Street Vendor Survey has been completed in 2,178 towns and 16,76,403 street vendors have been identified and 7,92,286 ID cards issued. 1,565 shelters for urban homeless have been sanctioned and 961 shelters made operational.



HRIDAY



City HRIDAY Plans (CHPs) for 12 cities have been approved. 66 DPRs amounting to Rs. 421.47 crores have been approved and Rs. 261.31 crores have been released to 12 cities for implementation of scheme. Total expenditure under the scheme so far is Rs.209.5 crores.58 projects are under implementation at various stages. All works will be completed by September 2018.



Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)



A total of Rs.6,592 crores have been released to states. Total number of 48.67 lakh individual household toilets and 3.3 lakh Community/Public Toilet (CT/PT) seats have already been constructed and 8.3 lakh individual toilets and 0.37 lakh CT/PT are under construction. 2679 cities have been so far self-declared Open Defecation Free and after third party certification 2,133 cities/ ULBs have been certified as Open Defecation Free (ODF). 62,436 urban wards have been covered under 100% Door to Door collection of solid waste while waste to Compost total achievement is 13.11 lakh TPA from 145 functional Plants and work on 65 lakh TPA is under progress. Around 88 Mega Watts of energy is being produced from waste and work on Waste toEnergy plants of 412 MW is under progress.

****

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at an event to lay the foundation stone for the World Trade Center, at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, in New Delhi on May 17, 2018. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu unveiling the plaques to lay the foundation stone for the World Trade Center at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, in New Delhi on May 17, 2018. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for the World Trade Center, at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, in New Delhi on May 17, 2018.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone for the World Trade Center, at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, in New Delhi on May 17, 2018. The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra are also seen.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri addressing at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the World Trade Center, at Nauroji Nagar and redevelopment of Netaji Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation Colony, in New Delhi on May 17, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
17-May, 2018 16:02 IST
Smart Cities Mission - 1,333 projects worth Rs.50,626 crores completed or under implementation / tendering

For AMRUT out of SAAP size of Rs.77,640 crores,projects worth rs 65,075 crores (84%) under various stages of implementation including projects tendered or dprs approved

Under PMAY(U) Rs. 25,475 crores of Central asistance released to States/UTS

Under DAY- NULM Rs.1907.5 crores released

This is with reference to the article “Only 22% funds utilised in six Housing Ministry schemes” published on 12th May 2018 in a newspaper which was based on the information given to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban development. This is a misinterpretation of the statistics relating to funds released/utilisation regarding schemes/missions being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, resulting in incorrect inferences. While funds released/utilisation is part of the normal government financial procedures to ensure proper accounting systems, it is not a true barometer of the physical progress and speed of the implementation of the mission targets/objectives. Most of the schemes have large capital intensive projects with a completion time range of 1-3 years for the project.



The Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs has been able to achieve substantial milestones in both physical and financial terms in so far as mission objectives/targets are concerned. The utilization certificates are required to be submitted within 12 months of the closure of the financial year in which the grants were released. Thus,during the year 2017-18, while the total cumulative grants released was Rs.46,663 crores, Utilization Certificates were due only for the grants released upto March 2016, i.e. for approximately Rs.10,365 crores. The utilization figures, given to the Standing Committee pertained mostly to funds released upto 2015-16 as only this was due in 2017-18. In fact, at the closure of the year 2017-18, as against the due amount of Rs.10,365 crores for utilisation certificates (UCs), actual UCs for an amount of Rs.15,403 crores were received in the Ministry.This figure also included some UCs which were due in the next financial year i.e. 2018-19.

Mission wise progress of funds released, projects progress and utilisation status, etc. is given below:

Smart Cities Mission



Smart City Mission has lots of convergence with other missions like AMRUT etc. and some of the projects are implemented under Public Private Partnerships. 1,333 projects worth Rs. 50,626 crores have been completed or under implementation / tendering. Overall projects worth Rs.2,03,979 crores have been identified for all 99 smart cities across the country.



Out of 99 Smart cities which have been selected so far, 91 of them have already incorporated SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles). 9 Smart Cities viz. Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Pune, Kakinada, Surat & Nagpur have already established Integrated City Command and Control Centres (ICCC). Work is under progress on 14 more and 32 are under tendering stage .



Smart Road projects have been completed in 4 cities worth Rs.228 crores and are under implementation/tendering stage in 40 cities worth Rs. 5,123 crores. Smart Solar projects in 6 cities have been completed, while projects in 49 cities are under implementation/tendering. Smart Water projects have been completed in 6 cities while projects are under implementation/tendering in 43 cities. Similarly, Smart Waste Water projects in 46 cities have been completed/under implementation/ tendering. Public Private Partnership projects worth Rs.734 crores have been completed in 13 cities while projects worth Rs. 7,753 crores are under implementation/tendering in 52 cities. Apart from this, other impactful projects like heritage conservation, water front development, public space development etc. have been completed in 13 cities worth Rs.107 crores and projects worth Rs. 5,865 crores are under implementation/tendering.



The selection of smart cities was done in various stages with the last 9 cities been selected in Jan 2018. It is pertinent to mention that it normally takes around 12 to 18 months after selection of a city as Smart City to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle, appointment of a Project Management Consultant, prepare detailed project reports and award the work after tender. The timeline for the completion of smart city projects according to the rounds in which they were selected is given below:

• Round 1 cities- 2019-20 to 2020-21
• Round 2 cities- 2019-20 to 2021-22
• Round 3 cities- 2020-21 to 2021-22
• Round 4 cities- 2020-21 to 2022-23

AMRUT



Under AMRUT, out of State Annual Action Plan(SAAP) size of Rs.77,640 crores, projects worth Rs.65,075 crores (84%) are under various stages of implementation including projects tendered and where DPRs have been approved. More than 22 crores urban population will benefit from this mission. Total of Rs. 11,945 crores has been released so far. Close to 400 projects worth Rs.325 crores have already been completed and for 2,188 projects worth Rs.40,074 crores, contracts have been awarded and are at various stages of implementation. Further, 895 projects costing Rs.13,586 crores are under tendering and for 729 projects costing Rs.10,824 crores DPRs have been approved. Further, 8.58 lakhwater tap connections have been provided so far under the Mission and by convergence of other schemes. By the end of the Mission, i.e. June 2020, nearly 1.4 crore water taps will be provided across the country. 37 lakh street lights have been replaced with energy efficient LED lights. Around 322 green spaces and parks projects have been completed under the Mission. A Single window clearance system has been implemented in Delhi and Mumbai for construction permits, where only 8 procedures and less than 60 days are required for all approvals. Online Building Permission Systems(OBPS) is operational in 370Mission cities and is under various stages of implementation in remaining cities.

PMAY(U)



Total of Rs. 24,475crores has been released to the States under the scheme. So far, 45.86 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the scheme; out of these 23.43 lakh houses have been grounded and 7.02 lakh houses have been completed so far (including incomplete houses of earlier scheme).


DAY – NULM



Under the Mission Rs.1907.5 croreshave been released so far. The Mission has been extended to all the statutory towns. Since the beginning of the mission, employment has been generated for 6,36,956 beneficiaries. Around 11 lakh urban poor have been imparted skill training to improve their employability. A total of 2,81,197 Self-Help Groups have been formed and 1,94,879 SHGs have been assisted with Revolving Fund while 3,82,746 SHGs have been disbursed loans under SHG Bank Linkage Programme. Street Vendor Survey has been completed in 2,178 towns and 16,76,403 street vendors have been identified and 7,92,286 ID cards issued. 1,565 shelters for urban homeless have been sanctioned and 961 shelters made operational.



HRIDAY



City HRIDAY Plans (CHPs) for 12 cities have been approved. 66 DPRs amounting to Rs. 421.47 crores have been approved and Rs. 261.31 crores have been released to 12 cities for implementation of scheme. Total expenditure under the scheme so far is Rs.209.5 crores.58 projects are under implementation at various stages. All works will be completed by September 2018.



Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)



A total of Rs.6,592 crores have been released to states. Total number of 48.67 lakh individual household toilets and 3.3 lakh Community/Public Toilet (CT/PT) seats have already been constructed and 8.3 lakh individual toilets and 0.37 lakh CT/PT are under construction. 2679 cities have been so far self-declared Open Defecation Free and after third party certification 2,133 cities/ ULBs have been certified as Open Defecation Free (ODF). 62,436 urban wards have been covered under 100% Door to Door collection of solid waste while waste to Compost total achievement is 13.11 lakh TPA from 145 functional Plants and work on 65 lakh TPA is under progress. Around 88 Mega Watts of energy is being produced from waste and work on Waste toEnergy plants of 412 MW is under progress.

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[Hindustani78]

Vice President's Secretariat
17-May, 2018 20:36 IST
Cleanliness the best way to promote hygiene and disease prevention, also creates a sense of social well-being and good mental health: Vice President

Innovative methods to dispose of residential, commercial and manufacturing waste needed; Releases two books ‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ & ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that cleanliness ensures hygiene and disease prevention and it also creates a sense of social well-being and good mental health. He was addressing the gathering after releasing two books - ‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ and ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’, authored by Shri Rajat Bhargava, here today.

The Vice President said that it is apt that the author has chosen these subjects at an appropriate time when India is journeying through a phase of growth and development. He further said that cleanliness is next only to godliness. Cleanliness and waste management are not only linked to hygiene but management of resources as well, he added.

The Vice President said that there is a need to build awareness about the importance of a self-sustaining system of waste disposal and minimizing waste production. He further said that innovative methods to dispose of residential, commercial and manufacturing waste need to be implemented across the country. A wide spectrum of issues surrounds the implementation of waste disposal and thus, it is a great initiative to bring out a treatise on solid and liquid waste management, he added.

The Vice President said that waste treatment and disposal produces significant green-house gas (GHG) emissions, notably methane, which is contributing significantly to global warming. He further said that we need to continue to introduce clean technologies and build awareness about the impact of our practices on the environment. This will lead to sustainable development, and aid in achieving millennium development goals, he added.

The Vice President said that ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s ambitious project to make India a clean country. It brought about a much-needed change in the way we approach waste management, he added.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address:



“It gives me immense pleasure to release two books written by Shri Rajat Bhargava - ‘A Treatise on Cleanliness’ and ‘Waste Management, an Introduction’.

It is apt that the author has chosen these subjects at an appropriate time when India is journeying through a phase of growth and development.

It is said cleanliness is next only to godliness. Cleanliness and waste management are not only linked to hygiene but management of resources as well. In the light of this, the book assumes significance. I am happy to note that the book will come in handy for students and researchers as well.

While cleanliness gives us a practical assurance of hygiene and disease prevention, it also creates a sense of social well-being and good mental health.

There is a need to build awareness about the importance of a self-sustaining system of waste disposal and minimizing waste production. Clinical and sanitized methods to dispose of residential, commercial and manufacturing waste need to be widely talked about and implemented across the country.

A wide spectrum of issues surrounds the implementation of waste disposal. Thus, it is a great initiative to bring out a treatise on solid and liquid waste management.

On a global scale, waste management is still evolving. Approximately 330 million metric tonnes of waste was generated in 2003, and has exponentially increased in the last 15 years. Fast rates of development, growth in population and the increase in industrial activity, are all contributing factors.

Excess waste disposal and unorganized waste management largely takes place in poorer economic zones, deprived of education and sanitation. It is very important to adopt a holistic approach to waste management.

Modern Day waste materials are hazardous to mankind and can cause various diseases including cancers. Toxic waste materials can contaminate surface water, groundwater, soil and air which cause problems for humans, other species, and ecosystems.

Waste treatment and disposal produces significant green-house gas (GHG) emissions, notably methane, which is contributing significantly to global warming. I am sure that we will continue to introduce clean technologies and build awareness about the impact of our practices on the environment. This will lead to sustainable development, and aid in achieving millennium development goals. Two areas which I would like to highlight are Municipal waste and growing impact of e-wastes.

‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’, Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s ambitious project to make India a clean country. It brought about a much-needed change in the way we approach waste management.

As you are aware India is the fastest growing economy. However, with growth come potential dangers of production of more waste. There is thus need for effective waste management.

We need to effectively follow 3 R’s for waste control --- Reduce, Recycle & Reuse.Along with 3Rs we need to take focus on resource efficiency for promoting sustainability.

As regards waste management, various technologies are evolving to protect us from stinking gases to producing energy from waste.

Every citizen must fulfil his/her responsibility towards protecting environment. In sum total, we should gravitate towards a “zero waste “policy.

Talking about Municipal waste

India needs to increase landfill area, even as it looks to overhauling its municipal solid waste management system. India generates about 62 million tonnes of municipal trash every year.

Ten million tonnes of garbage is generated in just six metropolitan cities--Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata. The landfills of these cities are already overflowing with no space to accommodate fresh waste.

According to an expert at the Centre of Science and Environment, instead of constructing new landfill sites, we should be looking into innovative methods to dispose and recycle its waste. I am happy that the Government has taken lead in establishing waste to energy projects on priority.

I strongly feel that segregation of waste should occur at the colony or neighbourhood level, when the waste is collected.

Environmental hazards of emissions of gases are also a concern and these need to be tackled appropriately. Nearly 20% of methane gas emissions in India are caused by landfills.

High levels of nickel, zinc, arsenic, lead, chromium and other metals in the solid waste at landfills in metro cities can contaminate ground water and create health hazards. I strongly feel that as a country we should process everything and dump only the residue in the landfill.

Rapid changes in technology and obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. Technical solutions are available, but in most cases a legal framework, a collection, logistics, and other services need to be implemented before a technical solution can be applied. I am happy to note that the Government has put an e-waste policy in place.

An estimated 50 million tons of e-waste are produced each year. The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each year. It is estimated that only 15-20% of e-waste is recycled, the rest of these electronics go directly into landfills and incinerators.

GLOBAL TRADE ISSUES

I feel that the developing countries have become toxic dump yards of e-waste and we should guard against that.

Lot of people argue that lower environmental and labour standards, cheap labour, and the relatively high value of recovered raw materials leads to a transfer of pollution-generating activities, such as smelting of copper wire to developing countries like China, Malaysia, India, Kenya, and various African countries, Electronic waste is being sent to these countries for processing. Many surplus laptops are routed to developing nations as “dumping grounds for e-waste”.

We need to protect against these. It is pertinent to remove the rich-poor divide in cleanliness as the country is poised to become ODF by 2nd October 2019.

I am happy that Dr. Bhargava has covered not only the technical uses but also highlighted the social issues related to cleanliness and waste management. He has managed to cover a wide gamut of issues related to hazardous, toxic, bio-medical waste as well as cleaning of rivers in his publication.

The books have a special importance and cover a host of topics. I wish the publications and the author a great success in his endeavour.

JAI HIND!”

***

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
18-May, 2018 13:39 IST
Day-NULM – New Initiatives Likely to Reduce Vulnerability and Improve Working Conditions for the Urban Poor

Roadmap Shaping Future of ‘Work In India’ to be worked out exploring role of NULM and National Missions in Widening Employment Opportunities/Creating Policies for The Urban Informal Workforce : Puri

Shri Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State(I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs has said that “The National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), which seeks to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor through access to gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, has expanded its ambit to cover some additional sectors in the informal economy”. “In addition to providing social security, strengthening tenure security and improving basic infrastructure and public services in informal settlements where urban poor are concentrated, these initiatives are likely to reduce vulnerability and improve working conditions”, he further said. He was addressing a Workshop on “Making Cities Work for All: Integrating the informal economy organised by National Institute of Urban Affairs in collaboration with Women in the Informal Employment, here today.

While complimenting the National Institute of Urban Affairs for organizing this event, the Minister said that focusing on waste pickers, street vendors, brick-kiln and home based workers which together form the largest proportion of informal workers, this workshop intends to address informality with all its diversity and identify the barriers and opportunities in informal ‘place of work’ with a focus on women. The challenges and innovations; the role of city planning and the question of ‘formalisation’ will be deliberated. Finally, a roadmap shaping the future of ‘work in India’ will be worked out exploring the role of National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) and National Missions in widening employment opportunities and creating appropriate policies for the urban informal workforce.

Earlier referring to the issue of informal employment, the Minister that this includes all those workforce who are neither covered by any social security net nor have any form of job security and the informal sector includes enterprises that take the form of unincorporated partnerships and proprietorships (having less than 10 workers). Together, these individuals and enterprises form an informal economy which is so pervasive that it is estimated to provide livelihood (subsistence) to around 80 percent of the urban workforce in India. This is why the Economic Survey 2017-18 acknowledges the fact that the employment sector in India poses structural challenges because it is dominated by informal workers. He also stressed on the need to acknowledge the interlinkage between formal and informal sectors

Sh.Puri emphasised on the significant contribution made by the waste-pickers in the domain of solid waste managementbut who are invariably informal labour working under hazardous conditions, and mostly women and children belonging to disadvantaged communities. These informal waste pickers and recyclers play a critical role in managing urban waste and helping us achieve the Clean India Mission. These workers reclaim, reprocess and recycle 81 percent of the solid waste generated in cities – that would otherwise be disposed of in open unsanitary dumps or burned in incinerators.

Shri Puri also acknowledged the important contribution made by the organisations like SEWA, WIEGO and the Tata Trusts in supporting women in the informal sector.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
31-May, 2018 17:16 IST
1.5 lakh affordable houses sanctioned for urban poor under PMAY(urban)

Rs.7,277 cr investment approved with central assistance of Rs.2,209 cr

Andhra Pradesh gets 56,512 houses, Uttar Pradesh-26,060, Madhya Pradesh-17,920, Jharkhand-14,526, Maharashtra-13,506

Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of another 1.5 lakh affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of Rs.7,227cr with central assistance of Rs.2,209 cr. The approval was given in the 34thmeeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee in its meeting held here yesterday.

Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned 56,512 houses in 22 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.3,184cr with central assistance of Rs.848 cr. Uttar Pradesh got 23,060 houses in 110 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.870cr and central assistance of Rs.346 cr. Madhya Pradesh has been sanctioned 17,920 affordable houses in 32 cities with an investment of Rs.730cr and central assistance of Rs.269 cr. Jharkhandhas been sanctioned 14,526 houses in 26 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.1,075cr with central assistance of Rs.209 cr. Maharashtra has been sanctioned 13,506 houses in 15 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.643cr with central assistance of Rs.201 cr. Chattisgarh got 7,615 houses in 61 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.234cr and central assistance of Rs.114 cr.Rajasthan has been sanctioned 6,576 affordable houses in 30 cities with an investment of Rs.285cr and central assistance of Rs.99 cr. Odishahas been sanctioned 4,849 houses in 20 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.146cr with central assistance of Rs.73 cr. Punjab has been sanctioned 1,909 houses in 48 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.71cr with central assistance of Rs.28 cr. Assam got 1,520 houses in 6 cities and towns with an investment of Rs.39cr and central assistance of Rs.23 cr.

With the above proposed houses, cumulative houses under PMAY(U) would be 47,52,751 houses.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri addressing the media on Delhi Master Plan developments, in New Delhi on June 01, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra are also seen.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri addressing the media on Delhi Master Plan developments, in New Delhi on June 01, 2018. The Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Durga Shanker Mishra are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri delivering the keynote address at a Seminar on ‘Emerging Urban Narrative’, in New Delhi on June 02, 2018.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri delivering the keynote address at a Seminar on ‘Emerging Urban Narrative’, in New Delhi on June 02, 2018.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
03-June, 2018 12:50 IST
Sustainable, Balanced and Integrated Development of Urban Areas is a Key Priority of the Government and a Central Theme in Our Urban Growth Paradigm – Puri

All Missions of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have Strong Focus on Environment and Sustainable Urban Transition

Sh. Hardeep Puri, Minister of State (I/C), Housing and Urban Affairs has stated that Sustainable, balanced and integrated development of urban areas is a key priority of the Government and a central theme in its urban growth paradigm. He was addressing ‘The Knowledge Coalition-Intelligent Conversations’ on the occasion of World Environment Day in the presence of Mr. ErikSolheim, Chief of United Nations Environment Programme, Mr. Yuri Afanasiev,UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in India, Dr. Ajay Mathur fromThe Energy and Resources Institute&Ms. Dia Mirza, UN Environment Ambassador, here today. Sh. Puri said that the way wemanage the ‘urbanization’ process in our country will be one of the key drivers of the extent to which we can reap the benefits of the much talked about “urban transition”.

He further said that with its cities emerging as the drivers of the national economy, India stands at the threshold of a critical ‘moment’ in its developmental trajectory where adequate opportunities must be created for cities/towns to grow, flourish and become vibrant centers of investment and productivity. Acknowledging India’s crucial role in addressing global issues on mitigating climate change, he said that India has made some far-reaching commitments towards the larger welfare of the planet like being committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and being a signatory to various important international environmental agreements, including commitment at the COP 21 to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33% by 2030 even while growing at a fast pace.

He underlined that the fact that all missions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have a strong focus on environment and ecological sustainability. He said that Missions such as the Smart Cities Mission have been designed with a strong focus on environment, integrating various direct and indirect interventions towards sustainable growth and infrastructure development, reduction in emissions, and improving disaster resilience of cities. Further he said that a Technology sub-mission is also being set up under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) to facilitate adoption of innovative and modern building techniques.

He emphasized on the commitment of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairstowards sustainable development and achievement of SDGs as evidenced by the ambitious project undertaken by it to measure the “Liveability” of Cities, whereeach of the 79 Liveability indicators are closely linked to various SDGs and cover the entire gamut of issues from public transport, to reuse of water, pollution, vulnerability.

Acknowledging the challenges ahead, Sh Puri said that strong and committed partnerships between the governments, academia and industry at the international, national and local levels will help to achieve the goals of sustainable growth.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
29-August, 2018 19:26 IST
Government is Committed to Provide Positive Solution To the problems of Home buyers: Hardeep Puri

Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) has Changed Real Estate Sector for ever: Housing Minister

The Union Minister of State(I/C) Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the NDA government at the centre is committed to provide positive solution to the problems of home buyers, so that they get their home as soon as possible. Addressing a function “Real Estate: Opportunities to Challenges to” organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here today, Shri Puri said India’s gigantic urban initiative is not only a thrust of infrastructure investment but also combining the attainment of social indices and environmental objectives along the way.

The Minister during his address pointed out that the matter of the affected home buyers is also being heard by the Hon'ble Supreme Court and it asked NBCC, a PSU to find out the feasibility of completing the incomplete projects of Amrapali, so that thousands of home buyers can get their houses as soon as possible. Though NBCC prayed for 45 days’ time, the Hon'ble Supreme Court granted 30 days’ time to NBCC to undertake study and work-out the detailed plan for early implementation of incomplete housing projects of Amrapali. NBCC is in the process of finalizing the detailed report as directed by the Apex Court before the next date of hearing, which has been fixed for 4th September, 2018.



As Minister In-charge for Housing and Urban Affairs, “I realize the gravity of the prevailing housing problem. The State Government of U.P constituted a High-Powered Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt of India to examine the issues and propose some viable solutions to the problem being faced by the home buyers. Similar type of problems are being faced by the home buyers in Gurugram. The Government of Haryana has also approached my Ministry to suggest a solution by constituting a High-Powered Committee under the Chairmanship of the Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs”, he added.

The Minister outlined that construction sector is the second largest in terms of employment after agriculture and plays a vital role not only in the economy of the country but in the lives of the people in helping them in attaining their dream of a home of their own. He said the country had no regulator for the real estate sector for nearly 70 years after it gained independence, and added that the year 2016 will reveal that year to be a seminal one as that was the year when the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 was enacted by the NDA Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. He said, the year 2016 changed the real estate sector forever and defined the dawn of the post RERA era. The Minister said that RERA is characterized by trust, rules, regulations and regulatory oversight as opposed to the pre-2016 period which essentially was one of mistrust, fraud, cheating and broken promises.

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, had RERA been in place, say, 20 or even 10 years ago, consumers would not have had to knock on the doors of the judiciary, as the stringent provisions of RERA would have ensured an eco-system that would have prevented the entry of ‘fly by night’ operators. He said, we now have a Government that believes in bold and radical reforms. He said, it is a Government that is determined to bring about a change in the lives of the honest tax payer. The Minister said, we will and are urging, encouraging and persuading the States to set up the regulatory apparatus envisioned under RERA, speedily.

Shri Puri said, the Real Estate Act fills the existing gap between the Development/Municipal laws and the Apartment Ownership Act, and is intended to regulate transactions (buying and selling) and enforcement of contracts. He added that the Act upholds the spirit of federalism by allowing the States to set up the Regulatory Authority and the Appellate Tribunal and the role of the Central Government is limited to Union Territories without legislature. He emphasised that the Act attempts to balance the interests of the consumers and the developers by imposing clear responsibilities on both, seeks to establish symmetry of information between the promoter and the purchaser; transparency of contractual conditions; set minimum standards of accountability; and a fast-track dispute resolution mechanism. He pointed out that the Act is aimed at consumer protection, by creating an online system for information sharing so that there is mutual trust between the developer and the buyers, and projects are implemented in time. He also outlined various benefits and advantages that RERA has brought about in its wake.

The Minister informed that after taking charge of the ministry in September 2017, one of the first steps taken was to write to the Corporate Affairs Ministry to confer the status of ‘financial creditors’ on home buyers. The dialogue with that Ministry has finally resulted in another path breaking amendment to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), he added. Shri Puri explained that the amendment provides the homebuyer the status of a ‘financial creditor’, a move that will allow him to initiate Insolvency proceedings on par with of the financial institutions. He said, by empowering the homebuyer through a legislative mechanism, this Government has once again demonstrated through action that it has the best interests of the consumer and places it on the highest pedestal.

Shri Puri also spoke about several other initiatives by the Housing and Urban Development Ministry, that includes fiscal measures (lower GST rates for affordable housing), tax concessions(relief under Section 80 IBA),programmatic interventions(PMAY; higher carpet area for leveraging CLSS for the MIG),Policy interventions(‘Infrastructure’ status for Affordable housing) and higher Budgetary allocations like (i) setting up of a dedicated Affordable Housing Fund in National Housing Bank (NHB) to facilitate refinance for Private Lending Institutions; and (ii) National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) for Rs 60,000 crore through Extra Budgetary Resources. Each of these above measures will contribute to the growth of the real estate sector, he said.

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “Through the various flagship programmes of the Ministry, we are building 1 crore houses, more than 70 lakh individual and Community toilets, 100 Smart Cities and a comprehensive Mission to cover 500 Class-I cities with the civic infrastructure to provide for water tap connections and sewerage lines, the Minister added. He said, all these are being achieved without compromising on environmental concerns but on the contrary, by adopting a conscious approach that places a premium on building green and resilient structures, use of new and alternate construction technologies in the construction of houses, locally available eco-friendly materials suited to local climatic conditions are being encouraged, reducing not only the cost of construction but also the resultant carbon footprint.

 

[Hindustani78]

Vice President's Secretariat
30-August, 2018 13:51 IST
Planners, Parliamentarians and Press must have a bias towards rural India: Vice President

We cannot afford to have “Two Indias”; Reservation mentality should be there in allocating funds to rural areas; Encourage Rural Innovators & Remove bottlenecks regarding infrastructure, funds, connectivity; Government and private sector must come together in a big way to promote innovative rural technologies and transform the rural economy; Five Is - Irrigation, Infrastructure, reduced Interest rates, Insurance and Innovation crucial for transforming rural economy; Inaugurates Rural Innovators Startup Conclave

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon Planners, Parliamentarians and Press to have a pronounced rural bias and a reservation mentality in allocation of funds for villages to bridge the urban-rural divide and ensure an integrated development of the country. The Banks must also give priority to rural innovations, he said.



He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Rural Innovators Startup Conclave at National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, in Hyderabad today. The Governor of Telangana, Shri E.S.L. Narasimhan, the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Shri Mohammad Mahmood Ali, the Minister of State for Rural Development, Shri Ram Kripal Yadav and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.



The Vice President expressed anguish that the country had not followed the call of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi to “go back to villages”. Although, successive governments had focused on rural development, adequate attention was not paid and this led to “two Indias”, he added.



The Vice President pointed out that there was massive migration from villages to cities due to 5 Es - Education, Employment, Entertainment, Enhanced medical facilities and Economic opportunities. At the earliest, we need to bridge the urban-rural divide by providing all the amenities and facilities in villages on par with urban areas, he added.



Calling for transforming rural economy with particular emphasis on five Is - Irrigation, infrastructure, reduced interest rates, insurance and innovation, the Vice President said ‘If you have electricity, roads, hospitals medical institutions and connectivity it will bring integration’.



The Vice President said that Technology and innovation can change the economy of rural India and added that this is the best time to demonstrate our rural capabilities and showcase innovative technologies and products that can transform rural life.



The Vice President also said that self help groups should be involved in the development as it not only brings down the income gap but also encourages Women Empowerment. He has also said that the focus of providing electricity should shift from villages to every house.



Emphasizing the need to remove bottlenecks with regard to infrastructure, funds, connectivity and certification mechanism to encourage rural innovators, the Vice President appreciated NIRDPR for acting as a bridge between rural youth and various institutions and helping the innovators to transform their innovations into technology start-ups. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, National Skill Development Mission and schemes like Deen Daya Upadhyay Grameen Kaushal Yojana are extending support to the rural innovators, there is a huge scope to create the right ecosystem for rural innovators to flourish, he added.



Saying that employment generation is crucial for overall growth of our economy and government alone or only the large industries cannot create all the employmen, the Vice President asked Micro & Small Enterprises to embrace the start-up eco system and use technology to increase their reach and efficiency so that they can play a leading role in employment generation.



The Vice President said that innovation-led economic development is mostly limited to software or IT in spite of the efforts by the government agencies and host of institutions. Of late, start-ups are extensively being spoken about and have received a boost with the MAKE IN INDIA INITIATIVE, he added.



The Vice President said that in a bid to give fillip to incubation and R&D efforts in the country, the Government is also setting up the centres of innovation and entrepreneurship at national institutes as also new research parks at various IITs. He further said that building world class incubators is the need of the hour. Besides the initiatives taken by the Government, the private sector must come forward in a big way to promote innovative rural technologies and transform the rural economy, he added.



The Vice President said that India, with its youth potential must strive to become a make India a technology power house and emphasized the need to create innovation labs with the focus on ‘Design for Tomorrow’s India’.



Later the Vice President inaugurated an exhibition put up by rural innovators, went around the stalls and interacted with the young entrepreneurs and innovators. Around 150 startup innovators along with experts, professionals and others were attending the two-day conclave.



***

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
05-September, 2018 16:09 IST
Shri Hardeep Puri releases Schedule of Rates 2018 for new technologies and First Q R Code of CPWD.

Also launched CPWD’s official Facebook and Twitter page on the Department’s website. CPWD needs to look beyond conventional construction practices by adopting new, green and resilient technologies: Hardeep Puri

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri has said that there is a great opportunity for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) as India needs to build 700 to 900 million square meter of urban space every year between now and 2030 that has to be green, resilient and ecologically sustainable. Put another way, India has to a build a new a Chicago every year, he said.

Shri Hardeep Puri was speaking at a function for release of a booklet on Schedule of Rates (SOR) 2018 for new technologies and First Q R Code of CPWD here today. The Minister also launched CPWD’s official Facebook and Twitter page on the Department’s website on the occasion.

Dwelling on the rapid strides in country’s progress, Shri Puri said that our country is having the distinction of fastest growing economy in the world and going through a major phase of industrialization and modernization with a flood of construction and infrastructure projects. Therein, he said, lie the challenge and opportunity before CPWD. He said that CPWD must increasingly look at excellence in its projects along with private players.

The Minister also advocated the need to look beyond conventional construction practices of energy intensive building materials based on natural resources, emerging technologies, which not only brought speed & quality but are safe and durable, thereby leading towards sustainable development. He advised that construction and demolition waste should be recycled and extensively used in CPWD works. Energy efficiency measures should be given highest priority, he added.

Speaking about the importance of social media, Shri Puri said it has introduced a new dimension, a new narrative of work culture by sharing the organisation’s experiences with public at large. He also advised CPWD of an effective grievance redressal mechanism through feedback from its social media platforms. He said, it will also provide an opportunity to CPWD to advertise its good work before the people. The Minister said the Department has had a great past and added that with some remedial measures, it will have even brighter future.

The Director General of CPWD, Shri Prabhakar Singh, in his opening remarks, said the Department is moving towards the path of transformation, innovation, delivery and image building in a mission mode. He said, with the release of SOR for new technologies, CPWD has added one more feather in its cap in setting bench marking standards in the construction sector.

Senior officials of the Ministry and CPWD also attended the function.

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[Hindustani78]

Cabinet
05-September, 2018 21:15 IST
Boost to pro-people and pro-poor initiatives

Cabinet approves continuation of Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana

National Mission for Financial Inclusion (PMJDY) beyond 14.8.2018 Focus on opening accounts from “Every Household to Every Adult” Existing Over Draft limit of Rs 5,000 raised to Rs 10,000. No conditions for Overdraft upto Rs 2,000 Age limit for availing Over Draft facility revised from 18-60 years to 18-65 years Expanded accidental insurance cover for new RuPay card holders raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for new PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.18

In a major boost to pro-people and pro-poor initiatives, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in its meeting held on 5.9.2018 has approved the continuation of National Mission for Financial Inclusion - Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY) with the following changes:-

• The National Mission for Financial Inclusion (PMJDY) to continue beyond 14.8.2018

• Existing Over Draft (OD) limit of Rs 5,000 to be raised to Rs 10,000.

• There will not be any conditions attached for OD upto Rs 2,000.

• Age limit for availing OD facility to be revised from 18-60 years to 18-65 years.

• Under the expanded coverage from "every household to every adult", accidental insurance cover for new RuPay card holders to be raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh to new PMJDY accounts opened after 28.8.18.

Impact:



The continuation of the Mission would enable all adults/households of the country to have atleast a basic bank account with access to other financial services, social security schemes and overdraft upto Rs. 10,000. It will, thus, bring them into the mainstream of financial services and will facilitate transfer of benefits of various subsidy schemes of the Government more efficiently.



Achievements under PMJDY:

• Approx. 32.41 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened with more than Rs 81,200 crore of deposit balance.

• 53% women Jan Dhan account holders and 59% Jan Dhan accounts are in rural and semi urban areas. More than 83% operative Jan Dhan accounts (except states of Assam,Meghalaya, J&K) are Aadhaar seeded, with issuance of approx 24.4 crore RuPay cards to these account holders.

• More than 7.5 crore JanDhan accounts receiving DBTs.

• Banking Correspondents (BCs) have been deployed in 1.26 lakh Sub Service Areas (rural areas), each catering to 1000-1500 households. Nearly 13.16 crore Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) transactions have taken place through BCs during the month of July, 2018.

• 13.98 crore subscribers under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) with 19,436 claims, involving an amount of Rs, 388.72 crore settled so far.

• Similarly, 5.47 crore subscribers under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) with 1.10 lakh claims, involving an amount of Rs. 2206.28 crore settled so far.

• 1.11 crore persons have subscribed for Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

A pipeline has been created for the implementation of PMJDY through which JanDhan accounts and mobile banking have been linked to Aadhaar (JAM). This pipeline is not only facilitating savings, disbursal of credit, social security, etc. but more importantly channelizing direct benefits of various government schemes to poor people of the country through DBT.

It has been decided to continue the flagship financial inclusion program (PMJDY), with focus on opening accounts from "every household to every adult". The pipeline of JanDhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) will continue to provide the necessary backbone for coverage of these activities and thereby accelerating the pace of digitized, financially included & insured society.


Background:

With a view to increase banking penetration, promote financial inclusion and to provide at least one bank account per household across the country, a National Mission on Financial Inclusion known as Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY) was announced by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his Independence Day Speech on 15th August, 2014. The scheme was formally launched on 28th August, 2014 at National level by the Prime Minister

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
10-September, 2018 11:47 IST
A New ERA of Transparency & Accountability in Real Estate – 2 Years of Implementation -Shri Hardeep Puri Inaugurates “First Regional Workshop on RERA

Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 (Rera) has Changed Real Estate Sector for Ever: Shri Hardeep Puri Says, Bringing Discipline in the Real Estate Sector was one of the Core Objectives of this Landmark Legislation

The Union Minister of State(I/C) Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the NDA government at the centre is committed to provide positive solution to the problems of home buyers, so that they get their home as soon as possible. He was delivering the inaugural address at the “First Regional Workshop on RERA – a New Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real Estate – 2 years of implementation and way forward (Western Region)” in Pune today. During his address, the Minister pointed out that the country had no regulator for the real estate sector for nearly 70 years after it gained independence, and said that the year 2016 will reveal that year to be a seminal one as that was the year when the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 was enacted by the NDA Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi as Prime Minister. Various stakeholders associated with the Real Estate Sector i.e. Developers, Home Buyers, Financial Institutions along with the Chairpersons and senior officers of Authorities, Tribunals and State Government officials from the western part of India attended the workshop.



Addressing the participants, the minister stated that the year 2016 changed the real estate sector forever and defined the dawn of the post RERA era. RERA is characterized by trust, rules, regulations and regulatory oversight as opposed to the pre-2016 period which essentially was one of mistrust, fraud, cheating and broken promises, he said and asserted that “the plight of the homebuyers who were at the mercy of the developers and bringing discipline in the Real Estate Sector was one of the core objectives of this landmark legislation”. “Had RERA been in place, say, 20 or even 10 years ago, consumers would not have had to knock on the doors of the judiciary, as the stringent provisions of RERA would have ensured an eco-system that would have prevented the entry of ‘fly by night’ operators, he further said and added that, “we now have a Government that believes in bold and radical reforms”. Which is determined to bring about a change in the lives of the honest tax payer. “We will and are urging, encouraging and persuading the States to set up the regulatory apparatus envisioned under RERA, speedily”, he further said.



Shri Puri said, the Real Estate Act fills the existing gap between the Development/Municipal laws and the Apartment Ownership Act, and is intended to regulate transactions (buying and selling) and enforcement of contracts and added that the Act upholds the spirit of federalism by allowing the States to set up the Regulatory Authority and the Appellate Tribunal and the role of the Central Government is limited to Union Territories without legislature. He emphasised that the Act attempts to balance the interests of the consumers and the developers by imposing clear responsibilities on both, seeks to establish symmetry of information between the promoter and the purchaser; transparency of contractual conditions; set minimum standards of accountability; and a fast-track dispute resolution mechanism. He pointed out that the Act is aimed at consumer protection, by creating an online system for information sharing so that there is mutual trust between the developer and the buyers, and projects are implemented in time. He also outlined various benefits and advantages that RERA has brought about in its wake.



Stating that the Indian real estate sector has witnessed transformative reforms in the last few years, Shri Puri said, “according to CREDAI-JLL report, the contribution of housing sector to the Indian GDP is expected to be 11 percent by 2020, up from current 5 to 6%" the Indian real estate market is expected to touch USD 180 billion by 2020 and USD 350 billion by 2027 – where the products will be more structured and pre-planned”.

Outlining the progress since the enactment of the RERA, Shri Puri said, “28 States / UTs have notified the rules under RERA, except Jammu & Kashmir; 6 North Eastern States (because of land issues) and West Bengal. All these States have also set up Authorities (Regular – 12, Interim – 16); 20 States / UTs have set up the Real Estate Appellate Tribunals so far; total 21 States/ UTs have set up web-portal by giving facility of online registration; and so far 31,475 Real Estate Projects and 24,000 Real Estate Agents have been registered under RERA across the country”.

Speaking about Western region, the Minister pointed out that “Maharashtra is one of the first states to implement the provision of RERA and establish the Real Estate Regulatory Authority of Maharashtra, which is popularly known as MahaRERA. MahaRERA is taking big (Maha) initiatives such as 1st state in India to initiate the conciliation mechanism, by way of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to redress the issue of aggrieved home buyers and look forward to an early and amicable resolution of their disputes with their developers in Maharashtra. Maharashtra has the highest number of Projects (17,567) and Real Estate Agents (16,045) registered with Authority – higher than anuy other authority”.

He said, “Madhya Pradesh is fully RERA compliant state, which has established Regular Authority, Tribunal and have fully functional web-portal to enable the registration of project and Agents”, and added that “recently, Gujrat has also established its regular Authority and others (Rajasthan and Goa) are on their way to implement RERA in their states.

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