Puri: Housing for all a challenge in urban areas

New Delhi, Sept. 25: India’s urban areas are facing multi- pronged challenges and a “complex ecosystem” in ensuring housing for all, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Tuesday.

Speaking at Project Managers Global Summit 2018 on ‘ Powering India’s Breakthrough Growth: New Dimensions in Project Management’ here Tuesday, Puri said meeting these challenges require efficient project management which means translating vision into reality.

The Union housing and urban affairs minister said that professionalism is essential in project management and not populism, saying the processes must be carried out in a transparent manner and through competitive bidding.

He said India has undertaken the most comprehensive planned urbanisation programme in the world and stressed that India still has to build 70 per cent of the new urban infrastructure required by 2030 and this has to be green and resilient.

“Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or the ‘ Prime Minister’s scheme on Affordable Housing for All’ is the world’s largest housing programme for the poor under which the government aims to build 11 million affordable homes for urban Indians by the year 2022,” the minister said. By December this year, one can start getting physical contours of what a smart city looks like, he said, adding that 100 cities have been selected under ‘ Smart Cities Mission’.

◗ Mr Puri said that professionalism is essential in project management and not populism, saying the processes must be carried out in a transparent manner via bids

— PTI Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri with the winners of the painting competition among school children as part of ‘ Swachhata Hi Sewa’ abhiyan, in New Delhi on Tuesday.