Housing policy for vulnerable population

and individuals interested in providing after care as per their area of interest such as education, medical support, nutrition, vocational training etc Rule 25(5): CWC will examine the effectiveness of the aftercare programme, particularly whether it is being utilized for the purpose for which it has been granted Rule (6): Children who are placed in aftercare programme, shall be provided funds by the State Government for their essential expenses Rule 39(4)(xii): The Management Committees of each CCI must be planning post-release or post-restoration rehabilitation programme and follow up for a period of two years in collaboration with after care services Rule 78(4)(vi)(vii): The Juvenile Justice Fund may be utilised by the State Government for providing after care facilities and entrepreneurship fund for providing capital and infrastructure to persons who have crossed the age of eighteen within institutionalized care, for starting up small businesses to support reintegration into mainstream life; providing support for after care Rule 79(1)(v): SCPS to develop programmes for Aftercare Rule 79(1)(x): SCPS to maintain database of Aftercare organisations Rule 79(1)(xviii): The District Child Protection Unit shall facilitate the implementation of aftercare; maintain a database of child care institutions, specialised adoption agencies, open shelter, fit persons and fit facilities, registered foster parents, after care organisations and institutions etc. at the district level

Housing policy for vulnerable population

The formulation of National Housing Policy is an ongoing process which started in 1986 and revised in 1998. However, the urban housing sector has been facing emerging challenges with regard to availability of affordable shelter, growth of slums, and gaps in provision of basic services to the urban poor. The National Urban Housing & Habitat Policy 200711 seeks to promote various types of public-private partnerships for realizing the goal of “Affordable Housing for All’ with special emphasis on vulnerable section of society such as, Scheduled Castes / Tribes / Backward Castes / Minorities, empowerment of Women within the ambit of the urban poor. The National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy, 2007 also lays special emphasis on provision of social housing for the EWS/ LIG categories so that they are fully integrated into the mainstream of ecologically well-balanced urban development.

In order to augment sustainable and affordable housing stock along with related infrastructure like water, drainage, sanitation, sewerage, solid waste management, electricity and transportation, the policy instructed states to have Action Plans of that should focus on accelerated flow of funds for housing (including various cost-effective slum-related options) and infrastructure. The State/UT Action Plan should also encourage promotion of planned and balanced regional growth, creation of sustainable employment opportunities, protection of weaker sections/ vulnerable groups preferably in their present residential location, conservation of urban environment and promotion of public private partnerships.

11 https://www.nhb.org.in/Urban_Housing/HousingPolicy2007.pdf

The Five-Year Plans and Housing for poor

The policies of housing have been cited since first five-year plan in India. In the First Five Year Plan (195156), the emphasis was given on institution building and on construction of houses for Government employees and weaker sections.

The scope of housing programme for the poor was expanded in the Second Plan (1956-61) including schemes like Rural Housing, Slum Clearance and Sweepers Housing. The general directions for housing programmes in the Third Plan (1961-66) were co-ordination of efforts of all agencies and orienting the programmes to the needs of the Low-Income Groups. A Scheme was introduced in 1959 to give loans to State Govts. for a period of 10 years for acquisition and development of land in order to make available building sites in sufficient numbers.

In the Fourth Plan (1969-74), Scheme for Environmental Improvement or Urban Slums was undertaken with a view to provide a minimum level of services, like, water supply, sewerage, drainage, street pavements in 20 cities.

The Urban Land (Ceiling & Regulation) Act was enacted to prevent concentration of land holding in urban areas and to make available urban land for construction of houses for the middle and low-income groups in Fifth Plan (1974-79). The thrust of the planning in the Sixth Plan (1980-85) was on integrated provision of services along with shelter, particularly for the poor.

The Seventh Plan (1985-90) explicitly recognised the problems of the urban poor and for the first time an Urban Poverty Alleviation Scheme known as Urban Basic Services for the Poor (UBSP) was launched. As a follow-up of the Global Shelter Strategy (GSS), National Housing Policy (NHP) was announced in 1988. The long-term goal of the NHP was to eradicate houselessness, improve the housing conditions of the inadequately housed and provide a minimum level of basic services and amenities to all.

The Eighth Plan (1992-97) identified that widening gap between demand and supply of infrastructural services badly hitting the poor, whose access to the basic services like drinking water, sanitation, education and basic health services.

According to the policy thrust for the Ninth Plan (1997-2002), state and local governments were expected to act as manager of the whole housing and urban development process. The Tenth Plan (2022-2007) suggested provision of free housing only to the landless SC/ST families and shift to a credit-cum subsidy scheme for the other BPL families, since National Common Minimum Program (NCMP) promised housing for weaker sections in rural areas to extend on a large scale. In Eleventh Plan (2007-12), the Bharat Nirman Program has recognized and accorded due priority to the need to end shelter lessness and planned to implement the housing component of the program in parallel with Indira Awas Yojana scheme. The Twelfth Plan has constituted a ‘Working Group on Rural Housing’ to enable meaningful collaborations between diverse stakeholders – Central and State Governments, Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs), beneficiary families, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and, corporate bodies to address housing shortage in rural India, estimated at 40 million households until the end of the twelfth plan period.