DIMAPUR, Sept 10 - Nagaland Government aims to provide houses to one lakh urban populace by 2022 under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or Housing for All (Urban) Mission.
Informing this during the first State Level Consultative Meeting with administrators of urban local bodies in Kohima yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs R Tohanba said the scheme will cover all the 27 recognised town councils and three municipal councils while urging the officials to be sincere in their approach in order to successfully implement the scheme.
A decade ago emphasis was upon rural development, but with increasing demand and growth trend in the urban sector, the Centre started focusing on urban sector, Tohanba said.
Tohanba said it was earlier decided that in Nagaland the implementation of the scheme would be based on beneficiary-led own construction where the Centre will extend grant-in-aid up to Rs 1.5 lakh per beneficiary.
He suggested that there should be close coordination between the urban local bodies and the department to efficiently implement the scheme.
The �Housing for All� mission is being implemented in all the 23 urban local bodies in Nagaland at present. With the declaration of more towns being notified as statutory towns, Tohanba hoped that the Centre will agree to include those new towns too.
Tohanba added that in recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the trend of urbanisation in Nagaland, with the urban population rising, and rural population declining.
He stated that the �Housing for All� scheme is an initiative to curb urban homeless by providing subsidy to the beneficiaries who are without a house or who have a small house for enhancement of rooms. He expressed hope for successful implementation of this mission in the State.
Meanwhile, Tohanba also informed that 33 per cent reservation for women in urban local bodies as approved by the State Cabinet will very shortly be notified by the State Election Commission.
Acknowledging concerns from certain quarters that women�s reservation will undermine the special constitutional guarantee accorded to the Nagas under Article 371-A, the Parliamentary Secretary said, �We should feel that with women reservation, the Naga women are empowered to actively participate in the important decision making bodies.�
�This will enhance quality of governance and will not in anyway dilute nor infringe the privileges guaranteed under the Constitution to the Nagas�, he added.
