Govt to set up Slum Upgradation Index to monitor its schemes

Aiming to rehabilitate slum dwellers and provide them with basic civic amenities, government is planning to set up a Slum Upgradation Index for city and state-wise monitoring of its schemes.
Announcing the programme, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken also said his Ministry will not follow any more distinction between various Notified, Recognised and Identified slums while providing Financial assistance under the Rajiv Awaas Yojana (RAY).
"We have decided to have a Slum Upgradation Index for every city and state now. We are going to set up a committee which will give us a report in three months suggesting us ways to prepare the Index, city and state-wise," Maken said.

He was speaking at a function to release a report on Housing Stock, Amenities and Assets in Slums based on House listing and Housing Census 2011 by the Registrar General of India.
For providing funds to slums, he said, "We will have no distinction for the notified, recognised and identified slums. Any identified slum for us would be recognised and notified. Any city which has a urban local body and asks money from us through RAY, we will provide money for improvement of these slums."
Minister of State for Home R P N Singh and Registrar General and Census Commissioner C Chandramouli were also present during the programme.

Maken also noted that number of slums households in the country have come down as compared to 2001 census, but a large section of population is still living in these areas, deprived of basic amenities.
"In 2001, there were 23.5 per cent of households in the urban areas which were living in slums, it has come down to 17.4 per cent. There are still 17.35 million slum houses, 13.74 million slum households and we have 68 million people living in the slum areas as 2011 census," he said.