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Poverty Alleviation


State plans new policy for urban poor

Tuesday, 01 September 2009 05:25 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle 01.09.2009

State plans new policy for urban poor

September 1st, 2009
By Our Correspondent

Bengaluru, Aug. 31: The government hopes to bring in a law to safeguard the interests of the urban poor after the BBMP council elections are held, according to senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament Ananth Kumar. To this end, a comprehensive policy for the development of urban poor with special focus on youth, women and children will be drafted soon.

Participating in a consultation organised to take in suggestions from like-minded groups and public organisations on a comprehensive policy for the development of urban poor the government is working on, he said a mandatory 18 per cent fund allotment will be made in the budget for the poor and a social audit will be done on a regular basis to ensure that the money is utilised properly. Members of the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force (ABIDe) is drafting the comprehensive policy with the help of several city based groups acting as an umbrella organisation.

“We want to intervene in five important areas that play an important role in the development of the urban poor. The comprehensive policy to be announced by the state government will be restricted to people below poverty line,” Mr Kumar disclosed, adding that a working group will be formed to check on the mechanism used to implement the policy. The group will interact with the public to ensure that the policy serves the intended purpose. “Once the draft policy is ready it will be advertised for suggestions from the public, which will be analysed and introduced in the final policy, if found to be valid,” Mr Kumar added.

Organisations like CIVIC, APSA, and AVAS gave their suggestions to ABIDe on the policy, which is intended to give a better deal for the urban poor, women and children.

 

ABIDe mulls over policy for urban poor

Tuesday, 01 September 2009 04:58 administrator
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The New Indian Express 01.09.2009

ABIDe mulls over policy for urban poor

Express News Service

BANGALORE: To address the problems of the urban poor and recognise their contribution to the urban economy, ABIDe is mulling over a comprehensive policy for the development of urban poor. Participating in a consultative meeting in this regard, Ananth Kumar, MP and vice-president of ABIDe, said that a new legislation, Bangalore Regional Governance Act 2009, would be in place soon after the elections to BBMP.

The MP said that ABIDe would deal with five important issues and one of them was development of the urban poor. “A comprehensive policy that is to be formulated will have public say.

We will call for public objections and suggestions in this regard.” For the implementation of this policy, there was a need for a legislative intervention and an end to redtapism, he said. “The policy will be multi-dimensional, integrated and holistic, in its approach towards the development of the urban poor,” he said. The meeting felt the need for a comprehensive survey of the urban poor and slum communities that will enable realistic planning and implementation.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 05:04
 

ABIDe meet stresses urban poor rights

Tuesday, 01 September 2009 01:10 administrator
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The Hindu 01.09.2009

ABIDe meet stresses urban poor rights

Staff Reporter

NGOs press for special programmes for children living in slums and on the streets

Bangalore: Creation of a single window agency to eradicate poverty and plan for development of urban poor, a comprehensive survey to identify them and land and ownership rights, are among other needs of urban poor discussed during “experts consultation on urban poor” organised by the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development (ABIDe) Task Force here on Monday.

The participants, mainly the representatives of NGOs working for the rights of urban poor, stressed the need to enumerate the number of slums and poor families living besides analysing the migratory trends to enable proper planning.

They also pointed out that 25 per cent of land in all new layouts to be formed by government should be reserved for urban poor besides establishing a land databank for proper allocation of land for housing projects for the urban poor. They have also demanded earmarking 25 per cent of funds raised from auctioning of government land recovered from encroachment for the development of economically weaker sections.

A minimum quantum of water should be supplied free of cost to slum dwellers at public locations. Instead of public-private-partnership programme in water supply for poor, some participants suggested public-people-partnership. Earmarking of 25 per cent of MLA and MP area development fund for urban poor was also suggested.

Many NGOs rooted for special programmes for children living in slums and on the streets as well as a legislation to protect the unorganised sector and for the welfare of construction workers.

Representatives of Karnataka Kolageri Nivasigala Samyukta Sanghatane, Association for the promotion of Social Action, CIVIC, Community Health Cell, Association for Voluntary Action and Services, National Centre for Labour, Karnataka State Construction Workers Central Union presented their suggestions.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 September 2009 01:11
 

Corp to issue smart cards to BPL families

Sunday, 30 August 2009 06:19 administrator
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The New Indian Express 30.08.2009

Corp to issue smart cards to BPL families

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation Council which met on Saturday has approved a scheme to issue `smart cards’ to members of the Below Poverty Line(BPL) families, under the National Urban Health Mission.

Holders of the smart cards will get insurance coverage for meeting hospital expenses. Under the scheme, each eligible family can avail a maximum benefit of Rs 30,000, annually.

The facility will be available at all government hospitals, all ESI hospitals and selected private hospitals. The smart cards will be issued by United India Insurance Company.

“Members of the family can avail themselves of a total reimbursement of Rs 30,000 annually, either individually or collectively.

The project will be implemented with the help of the Kudmabasree units,” said Mayor Mercy Williams.

The Council has also passed a resolution to entrust the construction of the Goshri-Mamangalam road, the Pachalam flyover, the Thammanam-Pulleppady road, the Ponnuruthy railway overbridge and the Atlantis railway overbridge with the Kerala Roads and Bridges Corporation.

These projects are included in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Construction of the Panampilly Nagar flyover, the Island- Kanhangad bridge and the Rajaji Road-Gandhinagar railway overbridge will also be entrusted with the Kerala Road and Bridges Corporation. The preparation of the detailed project reports of these projects is progressing,” the Mayor said.

She also said that the Corporation would take the necessary steps to remove all the unauthorised hoarding in various parts of the City.

Last Updated on Sunday, 30 August 2009 06:30
 

DDA to build 65,000 houses; prefabricated units in offing

Thursday, 27 August 2009 10:59 administrator
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Indian Express 27.08.2009

DDA to build 65,000 houses; prefabricated units in offing

The Delhi Development Authority has proposed to build 65,000 houses for people from across varied income groups over the next four years.

The proposal for this scheme was submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development about a month back, according to a senior DDA official.

The plan was part of Urban Development minister Jaipal Reddy’s 100-day agenda, announced in June.

Often pulled up for delay in meeting deadlines, DDA plans to use new technology to ensure construction of these 65,000 houses. “Nearly 50,000 of these houses will be constructed with prefabricated technology, which is a faster mode of construction,” the DDA official told Newsline. “The other 15,000 will be built with conventional technology.”

Prefabricated houses are manufactured in standard sizes but off the site; they are then transported to the location and assembled. The advantage lies in that they can be put up much faster than standard, on-location construction.

The Delhi Development Authority has proposed to build 65,000 houses for people from across varied income groups over the next four years.

The proposal for this scheme was submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development about a month back, according to a senior DDA official.

The plan was part of Urban Development minister Jaipal Reddy’s 100-day agenda, announced in June.

Often pulled up for delay in meeting deadlines, DDA plans to use new technology to ensure construction of these 65,000 houses. “Nearly 50,000 of these houses will be constructed with prefabricated technology, which is a faster mode of construction,” the DDA official told Newsline. “The other 15,000 will be built with conventional technology.”

Prefabricated houses are manufactured in standard sizes but off the site; they are then transported to the location and assembled. The advantage lies in that they can be put up much faster than standard, on-location construction.

The remaining 15,000 houses, to be constructed with conventional technology, will be ready by 2011 and will cater to various income groups. “These flats will be for the lower income group (LIG), middle income group (MIG) and the higher income group (HIG),” the official said. “Construction has already begun on many of these houses.”

Other than these 65,000 houses, the land agency is also building 47,500 houses for rehabilitation of 23 slum clusters across the Capital. DDA has informed the Ministry of Urban Development that these units would be constructed within the next five years.

 
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