Challenges daunting, but I'll give my best: Hardeep Puri

Newly sworn-in Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said the urban housing and development challenges are "daunting" but he would give his best to meet the targets.

"The urban housing and development challenges are daunting and transformative and I intend to give my best to meet the targets under various new urban missions," Puri said as he assumed office as the Minister of State (Independent charge).

He said the priorities for urban sector had already been outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he would work on them.

Puri said that various new urban missions launched over the last three years have been doing well on the ground and there was "no doubt we are on way to accomplishing the tasks in given time frames".

He said there were two sets of targets -- some of them are to be achieved by 2019 and others by 2022.

"If challenges are not met in two years, they can't be met even in six years. Going by the progress on ground, they can be met," he said.

Puri later held a two-hour review of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and sought information about various aspects of the target of ensuring decent pucca houses to all the needy urban poor by 2022.

The Minister will be attending the inauguration of the first phase of 8.5-km stretch of Lucknow Metro between Transport Nagar and Charbagh on Tuesday.

--IANS

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