The Tamil Nadu Government has announced plans for increasing the supply of housing for the lowing income group and economically weaker section, a move that will address the housing needs of a major segment of the society.
The State Government has announced a range of plans to strengthen urban and rural infrastructure in a tandem with plans to enhance supply of housing.
In the Budget for 2013-14, the Government has said that during the year the Tamil Nadu Housing Board will develop over 5,922 houses at a cost of Rs 1,530 crore.
The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board will complete the on-going construction of over 18,055 tenements and start work on 12,845 more units at a cost of Rs 1,936 crore.
Over the next three years, both the State-run agencies will take up construction of over 50,000 houses by dovetailing funds from a number of schemes to address the housing requirements of the low income group and the economically weaker section.
Slum redevelopment will also be a part of this programme.
Urban Infrastructure
Chennai’s roads, water supply and underground sewerage systems will get a Rs 500-crore upgrade in 2013-14. In the last two years, the Government has allocated a total of Rs 1,000 crore under the Chennai Mega City Development Mission and Rs 1,500 crore under the Integrated Urban Development Mission for infrastructure.
Rural housing is another major area of development with the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green House Scheme, a unique initiative through which over 60,000 solar powered green houses will be constructed.
The Budget note said that in the last two years, 1.20 lakh houses have been taken up for construction at a cost of Rs 2,160 crore.
Under the Indira Awas Yojana, a Government of India’s social welfare programme for providing houses for the rural poor, one lakh houses will be taken up during the coming financial year.
Village infrastructure is also set to receive a boost under the Tamil Nadu Village Habitations Improvement Scheme as a part of the State Government initiative to focus on the rural habitation as the unit of development. The Government has allocated Rs 750 crore in the coming financial year to cover 15,115 habitations.