In what speaks volumes about poor performance of the housing schemes for urban slum dwellers under the UPA’s key flagship programme, JNNURM, just 8.15 lakhs out of the total 14.42 lakhs sanctioned

A Baradwari locality is set to be the first milestone in Jamshedpur’s journey towards becoming a slum-free city.

New independent evalution office begins study of this and rural job guarantee schemes

Tamil Nadu has the best record in completion of projects and Gujarat in reforming urban laws under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. This is the initial assessment of the new Independent Evaluation Office, under the Planning Commission. Bihar has been the worst performer on both.

The Government today said there is a noticeable decline in below poverty line population in the country between 2004 and 2012.

As per poverty estimates released by the Planning Commission, the percentage of population below poverty line in urban areas has declined from 25.5 per cent in 2004—05 to 13.7 per cent 2011—12, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Girija Vyas informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Average project size in the State more than that in other States.

The Union Government will soon finalise a draft policy to provide non-financial incentives to encourage green buildings, said Arun Kumar Misra, Housing Secretary.

INCENTIVES

Centre has let the States to decide their own criteria for identifying beneficiaries

The S.R. Hashim Committee report on urban poor has been put in the cold storage by the UPA government. The report, submitted in December 2012 set out the criteria by which the poor living in urban areas were to be identified for various government schemes, especially the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

The Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has committed financial assistance of Rs 2130.91 crore for 40 housing and infrastructure projects to Goa, the State Member of Parliament

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath agree that Delhi must be decongested

Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit may not agree entirely on whether Delhi should grow vertically, but on Monday both concurred that the city needs to be unburdened.

Priyanka Kulkarni, 27, a communications manager with a Pune real estate firm that sells luxury homes, and her husband Mayank, an IT professional, have been looking to buy a house in the city for th