Deccan Chronicle 27.11.2009

Minister plans a new dawn for slum dwellers

Nov. 26: The urban development ministrty has begun implementing the urban Statistics for HR Assessment (Usha) scheme of the Centre for measuring the poverty levels of the urban poor.

As part of Usha, details will be gathered on slum dwellers including their lifestyle, source of income, money spent on food and education of children and building construction among others. Any programme to get rid of poverty, would first have to assess poverty levels so that assistance provided reaches the right people, said urban development minister Suresh Kumar, while speaking at a one-day workshop to implement the Usha scheme, held here on Thursday.

The successful implementation of the Central scheme will help the government achieve its dream of making Karnataka a slumless state, he said.

Urban development department secretary G.V. Kongavad said the state has 3,000 slums at present.