Centre to bring in new Housing Policy in two months

Bangalore, May 23 (UNI) The Union Government will come out with a new Urban Housing Policy within two months to address the increasing twin challenges of providing shelter to all at an affordable cost and improve the standard of living of the urban poor, Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Secretary H S Anand said today.

Delivering the key-note address at an international workshop on 'Emerging Trends in Cost-effective Housing Technologies', jointly organised by the Union Ministry, Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) here, he said over 24 million people living in urban areas were facing a housing shortage at the end of the tenth five-year plan and adding 1.3 million every year.

Stating that providing shelter to all living in urban areas was a phenomenal challenge, Dr Anand said there was a need to develop eco-friendly habitat, promote low-cost building materials and promote sustainable livelihoods to meet the challenges.

He said the main problems faced by the developing countries were creating sustainable livelihoods and preserving the environment.

There were also severe problems of agro-industrial wastes and their management through proper utilisation, he added.

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