Creation of 100 smart
cities & reducing interest rate on housing loans to ensure housing for all
will be the focus of the new Urban Development and Housing and Poverty
Alleviation Minister (HUPA) Mr. Venkaiah Naidu.
UD Ministry will also
give priority to linking of twin cities and infrastructure development of
satellite towns and cleaning of religious cities across the country.
“Housing is a
priority area and it is my passion. My priority will be to ensure housing for
all by 2020 and to reduce interest rate on home loans,” Naidu said here on
Wednesday after assuming charge of UD and HUPA ministries.
He said that during
the Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, interest rate was brought down from 11% to
7%. Now it has gone beyond 10%.
Terming “affordable
housing for all by 2020″ scheme as his “most favourable agenda”, Naidu said,
“People of the country should be in a position to have ‘pucca’ houses for each
one of them. It is not an easy job. But is possible. We have to make serious
efforts for it. Seeking cooperation from corporates, he said, “I want PPP, CSR
and corporates to take care of their staff in housing. We want state
governments to participate in it. Municipal bodies also should join us in this
mission for housing for all.
“I also want PSUs
such a LIC, banks, railways, even Defence to not only take care of their
serving persons but also their ex-staff also.”
He said he would be
taking up the issue with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley soon.
With NDA assuming power
the JNNURM, one of the flagship programmes of UPA government, is coming to an
end and there will be a new programme to develop infrastructure in cities, he
said.
PTI
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