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Poverty Alleviation

Yellow card shown to 7 development authorities

Monday, 17 May 2010 10:52 administrator
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Indian Express    17.05.2010

Yellow card shown to 7 development authorities

Lalmani Verma Tags : seven card Posted: Mon May 17 2010, 03:38 hrs

Lucknow:  The state government has issued warning to seven development authorities that had failed to give contracts to members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes in April — the first month of the current financial year. It has also sought explanations from the vice-chairmen of these authorities.

The concerned development authorities — Aligarh, Bareilly, Muzaffarnagar, Rae Bareli, Saharanpur, Unnao and Kushinagar — have been asked to ensure that such a feat was not repeated or else they may have to face action.

“The authorities have been asked to reply before the next monthly review meeting in June,” said Arun Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Planning department.

In August 2009, Chief Minister Mayawati had started a scheme where reservation is given to people belonging to the SC/ST category in government contracts worth up to Rs 5 lakh. This year, the government decided to extend the limit up to Rs 25 lakh.

In April, Bareilly had awarded eight tenders but none for the people from SC/ST. In Unnao, only one tender was floated and that was not reserved for SC/ST. In other development authorities — Muzaffarnagar, Rae Bareli, Saharanpur, Kushinagar and Aligarh — no tender was floated in April.

A total of 320 contracts were awarded in different development authorities and UP Housing and Development Board (UPHDB) in April. Around 90 of them were given to people from the SC category. While the UPHDB gave 36 contracts to SCs, 14 contracts were given by the Ghaziabad development authority, eight by Kanpur, six each by Lucknow and Agra and three by Moradabad. No contract was given to STs in any development authority and the UPHDB.

“Officials in these development authorities had said no tender was floated in April. But as this scheme is a priority for the government, the agencies have been asked to implement it properly,” said Sinha. As April was the first month of the current financial year, some authorities did not have the funds to float tenders for new works, he added.

Last Updated on Monday, 17 May 2010 10:55
 

Rajiv housing scheme to get Rs 3,000 cr next year

Monday, 05 April 2010 05:25 administrator
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The Business Line 05.04.2010

Rajiv housing scheme to get Rs 3,000 cr next year


Mr Saugata Roy,Union Minister of State for Urban Development.

Our Bureau

Kolkata, April 4 Allocations to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) may increase three folds to Rs 3,000 crore in the next Union Budget with the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) expected to get into full swing in 2010-11, according to Mr Saugata Roy, Union Minister of State for Urban Development.

The scheme has been formulated for slum-dwellers on the lines of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and is aimed at making India slum-free in a few years.

An expert committee, appointed by HUPA and headed by Mr Deepak Parekh to formulate draft guidelines of RAY, will submit its recommendations by this calendar year-end, Mr Roy said on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce here on Saturday.

“We are waiting for the committee's report to announce the RAY project in full detail,” Mr Roy said, adding that the report is expected to suggest a public-private partnership model to execute the project.

The Centre has decided to give property rights to slum-dwellers in the new units and the redevelopment of the slums was likely to be taken up in one city at a time rather than focusing on specific slums, he said.

In this context, Mr Roy said, the redevelopment of Dharavi in Maharashtra, Asia's largest slum, might not be the top priority of the Centre.

The Centre is currently evaluating proposals for launching metro railway projects in Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kochi, Mr Roy said.

Having implemented the bus rapid transport system (BRTS) successfully in Ahmedabad and Indore, the Centre is keen on extending the facility in other States, he said. The BRTS provides smooth transit for the city buses by segregating them from other vehicles on the road.

The West Bengal Government had submitted a proposal to the Centre for implementing BRTS from Garia to EM Bypass but the proposal was returned for technical amendments, Mr Roy said. The BRTS could also be implemented on the Barrackpore Trunk Road in Kolkata, he added.

Last Updated on Monday, 05 April 2010 05:27
 

Civic body takes BPL certificates to doorstep of the poor

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 11:17 administrator
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Indian Express 23.02.2010

Civic body takes BPL certificates to doorstep of the poor

Express News Service Tags : corporation, below poverty line, BPL Posted: Tuesday , Feb 23, 2010 at 0625 hrs

Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has begun dispatching below poverty line (BPL) certificates to citizens falling under the BPL category. PCMC is providing this facility to all citizens who have been recently added in this category, said additional commissioner Subash Dumbre.

Dumbre said that a total of 17,500 families who fall under the BPL category would benefit from this initiative of the municipal corporation.

They would not have to come to the municipal corporation offices and stand in queue to get their certificates. Recently, around 17,644 families living in Pimpri Chinchwad have been added in the BPL list. PCMC has recently announced that all these families who have been added to the BPL would get certificates pertaining to the same. The certificate is necessary for the BPL families to avail any schemes that the government offers them.

Along with the certificates, various women self-help groups run by women falling in BPL category would be given books explaining various schemes that are run by PCMC for citizens falling under BPL category.

PCMC officials said that because of these books the women would be able to avail facilities which are their rights.

The distribution of these books has begun since February 19. Recently, PCMC conducted a survey of all the BPL families living in its jurisdiction, following which a list of BPL families was prepared by the state government and PCMC. Currently, the BPL families are collecting certificates from citizen facilitation centres.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 11:19
 
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