THE PRIEST

Ministers of Urban Development and Housing of the Union, States and Union Territories have unanimously adopted a three page ‘National Declaration on Urban Governance and Housing For All’ on 3rd july,2014 The Declaration recognizes ‘housing as a part of the dignity and indicator of quality of life of the individual’ and housing and construction industry supports more than 250 ancillary industries and contributes 9% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Acknowledging the Union Government’s aspiration to provide housing for all by the 75the Year of Independence of the country in 2022, the Declaration lays special emphasis on housing for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Groups (LIG) and other vulnerable sections such as slum dwellers, SCs/STs, BCs, senior citizens, differently abled persons, widows etc. Under the Declaration, the Union Government has committed itself to rationalize approval processes and fund flows to States and Union Territories. The governm...