Speaking at a function in New Delhi the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee painted a gloomy picture of India after four decades in regard to spurt in population and shifting of population to urban India. He believes that after next 40 years India will be a country with highest urban population and this is worrisome. This is bound to create housing problem failing which slums and ghettos will come up in great numbers. Homeless and slum dwellers will pose a mighty challenge to the Government. There are an estimated 93 million slum dwellers in our country, with an urban housing shortage of nearly 18 million. Imagine how mind-boggling numbers will be there forty years from now if the population growth and migration to urban areas continues at the present rate. However the President is hopeful that these challenges are surmountable and our policy planners can device means and methods to overcome them provided they have a vision of the future of India. The Urban Housing Minister however was optimistic that the Government was seized of the issue. She highlighted the work done by her ministry. Vyas said that under the sub-missions of JNNURM, more than 1.5 million dwelling units have been sanctioned to the urban poor throughout the country with expected approximate initial cost of Rs 42,000 crore to social housing and basic services. She said the Planning Commission has allocated Rs 32,230 crore for implementation of Rajiv Awas Yojana during the 12th Five Year Plan.
Yes, there are other schemes floated by the Union Government to address the issues arising out of urbanization. We do not dispute that but what we mean to convey is that firstly there has to be effective mechanism of population control based on our previous experiences and secondly, we need proper planning right from day one. We need to take care that more slums are not added in all major cities and towns in the country. Likewise we need to anticipate the growth of urban India and, therefore, keep in mind our requirements.
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