Many A Slip In Housing And Urban Poverty Alleviation

April 4, 2007 - PRLog -- The Standing Committee on Urban Development (2006-07) have hauled up the government for non-utilisation of allotted funds earmarked for various schemes and leaving the money unspent to the implementing agencies like National Building Construction Corporation.

In its report submitted to Parliament in March 07, it was noted that it could not but conclude that the performance and monitoring of various schemes of the Ministry has not been up to the mark. The Committee in their report noted that the Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation has surrendered Rs. 453.00 crores during the year 2001-02 to 2004-05 and as on 31 st December 2005 Rs. 1320.70 crores were lying as unspent balance with states and union territories under various schemes of the Ministries.

Reacting to a Ministry reply that the accumulated unspent funds are quite less then what was reflected in statements, the Committee desired that a correct picture of the unspent balance of funds under various schemes including the scheme of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) must be given by the Ministry in their budgetary papers vis-à-vis the funds released in a financial year for the perusal of the Committee. All states and union territories must be persuaded to furnish their utilization certificates from time to time so that the implementation proves of the scheme is not adversely affected.

Keeping in view the poor performance of urban poverty funds, the Committee desired that all states and union territories must be persuaded to furnish their utilization certificates from time to time so that the implementation process of the scheme is not adversely affected.

behind in completion of BPL survey to complete the house to house survey at the earliest. The poverty line should reflect the prevailing conditions of the urban poor on non-economic parameters of the respective states and union territories. The Committee went on further to suggest that the house to house survey of remaining 109 towns be completed without further delay and the Ministry should also fix a time frame for the survey. The Committee may be apprised about the action taken in this regard.

Finalisation of Guidelines on Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme (ILCS)
The Committee hauled up most of the inability to implement the ILCS by the state governments and local agencies. It said that in order to eliminate the dehumanizing practice of physically carrying night soil, the centrally sponsored scheme for ILCS was initiated in 1981. Since its inception the scheme is infested with numerous problems and it has not performed well.

In the 10th Plan, Rs. 200 crores have been allocated for the scheme, but only 29.60 crores has been released up to 31 st January 2006. In the circumstances, the Committee is compelled to believe that the Government has launched ILCS without doing proper study and homework. Moreover, the Government has also not shown any responsibility and accountability in revising the scheme timely which is meant for eradicating manual scavenging.

The Committee recommend the Ministry of Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation should revise the guidelines of the scheme after incorporating suggestions and comments of the state governments and Planning Commission so as to make it user friendly. The Ministry should ensure that the disadvantaged and deprived sections of society are given a fair deal so that they can live with human dignity and should take concerted action in association with state governments and other central ministries to rehabilitate the manual scavengers.

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