The main focus of the new Government at the Centre would be to provide housing for all and public transport facility, according to M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development.
Addressing his maiden press conference after taking over as minister, Naidu said the target was to provide housing for all by 2022.
The Ministry would convene a meeting with all stakeholders in this regard to chalk out a strategy which would be followed by a State Urban Development Minister’s conference, he added.
"The people living in urban areas will go up from "the present 31 per cent to 50 per cent by 2050. We need to plan ahead from now,’’ the Minister said.
Skill upgradation
To eliminate poverty in urban areas, a basic skill development programme to train people in small trades such as mobile-repairing would be taken up.
"In Gujarat, the model proved to be very useful and the State Government is spending Rs 800 crore, while the budget allocated by in the previous government at the Centre was only Rs 1,000 crore for the entire country,’’ he added.
On the Opposition status for the Congress in the Parliament, Naidu said as it failed to get above 10 per cent seats to be recognised as the Opposition, conventions and practices were being examined.
"I have heard about coalition governments but not coalition Opposition. But this has to be examined and a decision has to be taken by the Speaker,’’ he added.