Slum-free India scheme to be taken up as a national mission

New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Monday said the government's endeavour is to make the
country slum-free through the Rajiv Awas Yojana scheme and
empowering slum dwellers with house ownership.
"We have taken a major step for our poor brothers and
sisters living in cities. We have approved the Rajiv Awas
Yojana. We want to make India slum free through this scheme,"
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his Independence Day
address to the nation here.
RAY, the UPA-II's flagship programme, envisages a slum
free India where every slum dweller and urban poor will have
access to basic civic and social services and decent shelter.
"We want the slum dwellers to get ownership of clean
houses and have access to basic amenities like water and
electricity. We will implement the Rajiv Awas Yojana as a
national mission together with the states," the Prime Minister
said from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the
launch of Phase I of RAY in June to provide financial
assistance to states willing to assign property rights to slum
dwellers, for the provision of shelter and basic civic and
social services for slum redevelopment and for the creation of
affordable housing stock.
According to an estimate by the Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation Ministry, about 93.06 million people will
live in slums in the cities by next year.
Implemented by the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
(HUPA) Ministry, RAY aims to bring existing slums within the
formal system and enable them to avail the same level of basic
amenities as the rest of the town.
RAY is being executed in partnership with communities,
urban local bodies, state governments and the Centre. While
the Centre will bear 50 per cent of the costs of slum
redevelopment, government is also encouraging the private
sector participation in the scheme.
The states have a major role to play in implementing the
RAY and states are being asked to frame legislation to accord
property rights to slum-dwellers, and also formulate detailed
project reports for the release of funds.
The scheme is expected to begin in 250 cities which have
an estimated 32.10 million people living in slums. The choice
of cities would be made by the states, according to their
aspirations and financial and resource arrangements in
consultation with the Centre.