No recommendations to sell benami properties to fund houses for poor: Govt

The Centre today said it has received no final recommendations from a Group of Secretaries on auctioning benami properties to fund houses for poor.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Rao Inderjit Singh said various Groups of Secretaries have been constituted to suggest new initiatives in the sector and make recommendations for job creation, harnessing the demographic dividend and meeting rising aspirations of weaker sections.
"No final recommendations have been made with regard to auction of benami properties for construction of affordable houses nor any time frame has been indicated," he added.

The Minister was responding to a query from Congress MP Kumari Selja who wanted to know if it was a fact the Group of Secretaries has recently recommended to auction benami properties for construction of affordable houses.
She had also asked whether the government has accepted the recommendations and by when these would come into force.
Last month, it was reported in the media that a Group of Secretaries has recommended to the government to monetise confiscated benami properties for construction of affordable houses for the poor and lower middle class.