Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 18: The Government of India has approved Rs 946 crores for Jammu and Kashmir and sanctioned 25 towns in the State under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of `Housing for All by 2022′, the implementation of which is being set into motion very soon.
The project is among Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream projects for development of the country, which will be fully funded by the Centre.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Central Government has approved Rs 946 crores for Jammu and Kashmir under the `Housing for All by 2022′ and given nod to implementation of the scheme in 25 towns of the State-12 belonging to Jammu region, 11 to Kashmir and two in Ladakh-in the first phase.
“More towns would be covered in rest of the phases,” sources said, adding that the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, mooted by the Prime Minister, will be implemented in all towns having population of 30,000 or more initially. However, the population bar could be relaxed once the towns with stipulated population of 30,000 are completed under the scheme.
Sources said with the approval of Rs 946 crores for Jammu and Kashmir under the Centre’s flagship scheme of `Housing for All by 2022′, the State Government is in the process of notifying the rules governing the scheme to start its implementation.
The Housing and Urban Development Department, headed by Deputy Chief Minister and BJP veteran Dr Nirmal Singh, has been designated as Nodal Department for implementation of the scheme by the Government of India.
Out of 25 towns of Jammu and Kashmir approved by the Centre Government for development under ‘Housing for All by 2022’, 12 towns of Jammu region, which have been approved, included Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Basohli, Ramban, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Bhaderwah, Samba, Doda and RS Pura.
Eleven towns of Kashmir region, approved under the scheme, are Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Bijbehara, Handwara, Kupwara, Sopore, Ganderbal, Budgam, Shopian and Pulwama while two towns of Ladakh region, which will be developed under the Scheme, are Leh and Kargil.
Sources said once the Phase-I of the scheme is set into the motion, another list of towns for development under ‘Housing for All by 2022’ will be taken up in the State as finally, the Government of India wants to cover entire country under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme and complete it by 2022.
Under the scheme, the Central grant of Rs one lakh per house, on an average, will be available under the slum rehabilitation programme. A State Government would have flexibility in deploying this slum rehabilitation grant to any slum rehabilitation project taken for development using land as a resource for providing houses to slum dwellers.
Under the Credit Linked Interest Subsidy component, interest subsidy of 6.5 percent on housing loans availed up to tenure of 15 years will be provided to Economically Weaker Sections/Low Income Group categories, wherein the subsidy pay-out on NPV basis would be about Rs 2.3 lakh per house for both the categories.
“The Central assistance at the rate of Rs.1.5 lakh per house for EWS category will be provided under the affordable housing in partnership and beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement. The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme except the credit linked subsidy component, which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.
The Mission also prescribes certain mandatory reforms for easing up the urban land market for housing, to make adequate urban land available for affordable housing. Houses constructed under the mission would be allotted in the name of the female head of the households or in the joint name of the male head of the household and his wife,” sources said.
The scheme will cover the entire urban area consisting of 4041 statutory towns with initial focus on 500 Class I cities and it will be implemented in three phases. However, there will be flexibility in covering number of cities in various phases and inclusion of additional cities may be considered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation in case there is demand from States and cities and have capacity to include them in earlier phases. Credit linked subsidy component of the scheme would be implemented across the country in all statutory towns from the very beginning, sources pointed out.
Follow our WhatsApp channel