Providing house, water, toilet priority for govt: Pranab

Ensuring a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities and electricity by the time the country completes 75 years of its Independence will be one of the priorities of the new government, President Pranab Mukherjee said in his address to Parliament today.
"By the time the nation completes 75 years of its independence, every family will have a pucca house with water connection, toilet facilities, 24 into 7 electricity supply and access," Mukherjee said addressing the first joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament.
The President also said the government is conscious of the "severe stress" the country's urban infrastructure is facing.

"Soon, 50 percent of our population would be residing in urban areas. Taking urbanisation as an opportunity rather than a challenge, the government will build 100 cities focussed on specialised domains and equipped with world class amenities," he said.
Integrated infrastructure will be rolled out in model towns to focus on cleanliness and sanitation, he said.