Cabinet nod to housing policy

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 6

The state government today approved a new housing policy aimed at meeting the goal of housing for all with a special focus on affordable housing for economically weaker sections of society through various public, private and cooperative housing schemes.

More than 60 items were listed for discussion at the Cabinet meeting and most of them were approved.

Speaking to mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting, Urban Development Minister and government spokesperson Madan Kaushik said, “The new housing policy lays down provisions for EWS housing, curbing expansion of slums and ensure that labourers employed in industrial units lived in rented accommodations instead of slums,” he said.

The new policy lays down five types of housing schemes. Keeping in view urban local bodies’ election in 2018, the Cabinet approved the expansion of 35 urban local bodies. Several villages have been assimilated in the existing urban local bodies comprising Municipal Corporations, Nagar Palika Parishad and Nagar Panchayats.

Kaushik said with the expansion of the boundaries of local bodies, the population of 35 local bodies would increase to 21.14 lakh and the area would also increase to 98,373 hectares. “We will be among the few states where urbanisation is 37 percent,” said Kaushik.

The Cabinet also approved Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for 10 lakh families who received sugar under Antodaya Scheme. “Each beneficiary will receive Rs 200 to Rs 225 in their accounts for sugar,” he said.

The Cabinet also approved payment of Rs 110 crore to be paid to farmers by sugar mills for this financial year. It also approved amendment in the guidelines for the Right to Education Act under which states will now have to map learning outcomes.

The government has also decided to cover all the small and marginal farmers under the Deen Dayal Sahbhakita Yojana, under which farmers will be eligible for Rs 1 lakh loan at 2 percent interest.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to divert 2 percent of royalty from mining activities for development.

It also approved giving benefits of Seventh Pay Commission to the UPCL, PITCUL and UJVNL.