The Hindu 05.09.2013
Schemes for urban poor cleared
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved the proposal for two flagship schemes of the Union Ministry of
Housing and Poverty Alleviation. The schemes are aimed at job-oriented
skills training for the urban poor and offering housing to slum dwellers
in urban areas.
The CCEA on Tuesday gave its
approval for restructuring the centrally-sponsored scheme of Swarna
Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana in the 12th Plan as the National Urban
Livelihoods Mission (NULM) and the implementation of Rajiv Awas Yojana
(RAY). The former will have an allocation of approximately Rs.6,405
crore. The Planning Commission has allocated Rs.32,230 crore for
implementation of RAY during 12th Five Year Plan.
Both schemes are considered crucial for the UPA Government ahead of the polls in 2014.
The
NULM aims at reducing poverty of urban poor households by offering them
avenues for self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.
It will also provide shelter equipped with essential services to the
urban homeless in a phased manner. It is designed to address the
livelihood concerns of urban street vendors by earmarking suitable
spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills to them.
Under
the programme, City Livelihood Centres (CLCs) will be established in
mission cities to provide a platform to the urban poor to market their
services and access information on self-employment, skill training and
other benefits. “Through the Self-Employment Programme (SEP), NULM will
provide financial assistance to individuals and groups of urban poor to
set up gainful self-employment, micro-enterprise ventures,” an official
of the Ministry said.
It will be implemented in two
phases — phase I (2013-2017) and phase II (2017-2022). The NULM will
target all cities with a population of one lakh or more and district
headquarter towns with a population of less than one lakh as per Census
2011.
The CCEA also gave its approval for the
implementation of RAY during the mission period 2013-2022. Under RAY,
support will be offered to States and UTs and Central Government
agencies for providing housing, including rental and transit housing,
development and improvement of basic civic and social infrastructure and
operation and maintenance of assets created under the scheme.
The Housing for the Urban Poor scheme has been renamed as the Rajiv Rinn Yojana (RRY).
NULM will provide financial assistance to set up gainful self-employment, micro-enterprise ventures.