Indian Express 23.04.2010
AMC wins national award for housing scheme
Express News Service Tags : corporation, housing Posted: Friday , Apr 23, 2010 at 0154 hrs
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been conferred a national award for innovations in affordable housing services for the urban poor. The first prize was bagged by Akshaya Patra Foundation, Bangalore. Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam said AMC was the first among the urban local bodies to receive such an award.
The other award winners were Kolkata Urban Services for Poor, Kolkata and Sulabh International Social Services Organisation. Gautam received the award from Kumari Selja, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation at New Delhi.
Innovations were invited from the government, private and social organisations in five urban themes – primary education and preventive healthcare, urban housing, urban livelihood, water and sanitation and urban mobility.
India Urban Space Foundation (IUSF) Chairperson Sati Ramanathan said the intersection of market-based approach and the social sector in solving the challenges of urban India, entrepreneurs and investment in market innovations should be encouraged.
Of the 166 nominations received, 37 were short-listed, and finally four were selected. The selection criterion was based on a number of parameters such as the nature of innovation, sustainable implementation, and value to the community, among others. IUSF is a non-profit organisation working on spatial planning of land.
he jury panel included Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission; Dr Ramachandran, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development; Roberto Zagha, Country Director, World Bank; Sheela Patel, Founding Director, SPARC; Madhu Kishwar, Founder, Manushi Sangathan; Tarun Das, president, Aspen Institute India; and Jayant Sinha, MD, Omidyar Network India.
IUSF instituted the award in collaboration with Cisco Systems with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and World Bank, the Ministry of Housing and Poverty Alleviation, and the Ministry of Urban Development.
