Subsidised Industrial Housing Scheme Efforts made during the last few years to provide housing facilities to industrial workers have resulted in the completion of more than 76,000 tenements up to the end of October 1958 under the Subsidise Indus trial Housing Scheme of the Covment or India. Under this scheme, ..... was started in 1952, the amount utilised up to the end of October 1958 comes to about Rs. 19.76 crores. As private employers are responsible for providing housing facilities to their workers, the progress of the scheme has been largely dependent on the cooperation of the employers. The financial assistance, provided under the scheme, which has been availed of by the employers comes to Rs. 82.012 lakhs and 11,956 tenements have been completed. The provision of housing facilities to industrial workers is essentially a human problem. A comparatively comfortable house to live in is the minimum facility that any worker, who toils the whole day in industrial establishments, could expect. Further, the efficiency of the workers increases if such amenities are given to them. The progress in industrialisation and the consequent increase in the employment of labour in industries have made the housing situation. more acute. a It was in 1949 that the Government of India formulated a scheme to provide interest free loans to State Governments or to private employers to the extent of two-thirds of the cost of housing schemes on condition that the rent charged would not exceed 2 per cent of the capital cost, subject to maximum of 10 per cent of the worker's wages. The scheme, however, did not make much headway. Early in 1952, a new scheme was therefore proposed under which the Central Government was to pay subsidy up to 20 per cent of the cost of construction, including the cost of land, the balance of the cost being met by employers to whom the houses were to belong. This scheme also did not evoke sufficient response from the employers. The present Subsidised Industrial Housing Scheme was introduced towards the end of 1952. Under the scheme, State Govern ments and statutory housing boards are given subsidy up to 50 per cent of the standard cost and loans up to 50 per cent. Employers were being given subsidy at the rate of 25 per cent of the cost and loans at the rate of 371%, which latter has now been raised to 50% as a result of the recommendations made by the Second Housing Ministers' Conference, held in Mysore in 1957. Thus, employers are now entitled to financial assistance up to 75% of the cost, 25% as subsidy and 50% as loan. Loan assistance given to co-operative societies of industrial workers has also been increased from 50% to 65%, subsidy remaining unchanged at 25%. In the First Five Year Plan, a-sum of Rs. 25 crores was earmarked for construction of houses under the scheme. Out of this, the amount actually disbursed as loan and subsidy amounted to Rs. 13.29 crores. During the period 43,831 houses were completed. The number of tenements completed by private employers during the period was 6,079. During the Second Plan period, a sum of about Rs. 29 crores has so far been allocated to various States and Union territories. During 1956-57 about Rs. 3.3 crores were disbursed and 10,520 tenements were completed. During the year 1957-58 a sum of Rs. 3.1 crores was disbursed and 18,358 tenements were completed. An outlay of about Rs. 5.3 crores has been proposed for the year 1958-59. Accelerating The Programme Certain measures have been introduced recently to accelerate the progress of construction work under the scheme. It has been decided to grant short term loans to State Governments repayable in 5 to 7 years, to enable them to acquire suitable sites and develop them for constructing houses by themselves or by selling the developed sites to employers or co-operatives of industrial workers on a 'no-profit no loss' basis. Where the rent paying capacity of the in dustrial workers is so low that they cannot pay even the subsidised rent of pucca tene. ments, the State Governments can now pro vide developed plots to them and the workers could put up their own huts for which they will be supplied building materials. As regards releasing funds to State Governments under the new procedure, State Governments will draw up to three-fourths of their total allocation for the year as Ways and Means advances, final adjustments being made in the last quarter. So far, projects formulated by the employers as well as State Governments were being technically scrutinised and sanctioned by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply. In order to expedite the tempo, necessary powers have now been delegated to the State Governments who will be scrutinising these projects themselves. State Governments have been requested to release the minimum requisite controlled building materials from within their own quotas in all cases in which they sponsor projects formulated by other constructing agencies such as private employers and co-operatives of industrial workers. Municipalities have also been recognised as constructing agencies and the State Governments have been allowed to give them financial assistance to build houses for industrial workers on the same pattern of assistance as given to the State Governments by the Centre. The existing mode of disbursement of loans and subsidies to employers and cooperative societies has been liberalised so as to make more finances available to these constructing agencies in the initial stages of construction. Employers have been given the option to repay loans granted to them under the scheme either in 15 or 25 years at the rate of interest normally applicable to such loans from time to time. The allotment rules are being reviewed with a view to see whether some discretion could be given to the employers to allot houses in accordance with such rules as are mutually agreed to by the workers, the UTTAR PRADESH COOPERATIVE BANK LIMITED (Government Partnered Apex Bank of the Cooperative Movement in Uttar Pradesh). BANARAS BARABANKI FAIZABAD GONDA 4. Net Profit 5. Total Assets KANPUR (Birhana Road) KANPUR (D.A. V. College) PILIBHIT RAMPUR SITAPUR It is the biggest of all the Banks registered in Uttar Pradesh under the Indian Companies Act or Cooperative Societies Act. It provides finances to Agriculturists and others through net work of District and Central Cooperative Banks. It has advanced Rupees one crore thirty lakhs under Low Income Group Housing Scheme for construction of residential Houses. Loans under Middle Income Group Housing Scheme will be exclusively provided by the Bank. The agricultural finance available from the Reserve Bank of India is channelled exclusively through the Bank. The audit, Inspection and Supervision vests with the Government of Uttar Pradesh. It transacts banking business of every description and accepts deposits at attractive rates to be ascertained from Manager Head Office, Agents of Branches. BHARAT BHUSHAN management and the representatives of the State Governments. The Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply are examining the possibility of giving income tax relief to employers in respect of rent they are collecting for houses constructed under the scheme which are below the economic rent. The Government of India have also requested the State Governments to conduct a special survey to find out the magnitude of the housing problem and then to fix certain quota of houses by agreement with the employers according to which they would be expected to construct houses for the workers employed by them. With a view to faciltiating the survey, all-India organisations of industrial employers and workers were requested in April 1958 to help the State Governments in the collection of the data required for the proposed survey. Most of the State Governments have already taken in hand the work connected with the survey. Gram: 'OILCO' The Third Housing Ministers' Conference held in Darjeeling in October 1958 emphasized that the success of the scheme depends There have been difficulties in the past, but on the increasing cooperation of employers. the expectation is that with the liberalisation of the scheme and the concessions given, employers would evince increasing interest in the matter of building houses for their workers. Rural Housing Projects A sum of Rs. 204.90 laks has been allotted to the various States for the current financial year under the Village Housing Projects scheme of the Union Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply. The money will be disbursed among 2,790 villages. Rural House Designs The National Buildings Organisation is holding a rural house designs competition. (Continued on page 100) Phones: 23454-Office 5367-Residence. Nagrath Paints Private Limited 46, Fazalganj, KANPUR. (Manufacturers of quality Paints, Enamels & Varnishes etc.) BRANCH OFFICES: Zonal Agencies: Messrs. BIRD & CO. (P) LTD. DELHI-KANPUR (for the State of Uttar Pradesh). THE CAWNPORE CHEMICAL WORKS PRIVATE LIMITED ANWARGANJ, KANPUR. Factories at: KANPUR (U.P.) & KANHAN (Bombay State) Slum Clearance Increased Central Subsidy For Slum Clearance On the recommendation of the third conference of Housing Ministers held in Darjeeling last October the Union Government has decided to increase the subsidy to the States for slum clearance work from 25 to 37 percent of the approved cost. The Centre will also give 37 percent as loan to the States, who will have to meet 25 percent of the cost from their own resources. It has further been decided that assistance should at present be confined to slum clearance in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Delhi, Kanpur and Ahmedabad, and that the enhanced rate of Central subsidy should ordinarily be available only for projects in these cities. In exceptional cases, however, the Union Government will consider the question of granting subsidy at the increased rate for projects in other cities and towns also. Central assistance to the States for slum clearance projects will be about Rs. 3.87 crores in 1959, and the increased rate of subsidy will be available for projects already being implemented or to be undertaken during the remaining period of the Plan. The Government has accepted the recommendation of the conference that in selecting areas for slum clearance preference should be given to areas where sweepers predomi nate. Socio-Economic Surveys Among other recommendations of the Housing Ministers Conference that have been accepted by the Union Government are: The State Governments should expedite steps to acquire slum areas and land needed for rehousing slum dwellers; projects should be based on socio-economic surveys of selected areas; a high power committee with representatives of all interests concerned should be entrusted with the work, with local bodies co-ordinating and supervising the implementation of schemes; the services of voluntary organisations should be utilised and participation of slum dwellers sought; where slum clearance is not possible slum improvement should be tried. If a slum dweller cannot pay even the subsidised rent and is averse to taking open developed plots, a skeletal house with a roof on pillars and a minimum floor area of 204. sqr. feet (which would later be converted into a living room and another multi-purpose room) could be provided at a monthly rent of about Rs. 8. This should be in addition to a bathing plateform and a latrine with roof and door shutters. The occupant will have to do the panelling or walling, and put in doors and windows and enclose the bathing plateform himself. The Government has rejected the suggestion that transfer of tenements or open developed plots to slum dwellers should be on leasehold basis. Slum Clearance Work in Delhi At a meeting of the representatives of the Union Ministries of Works, Housing and Supply and Health, the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Municipal Corporation held on July 29 under the chairmanship of Mr. Anil K. Chanda, the Deputy Minister for Works, Housing and Supply, it was agreed that all future schemes of slum clearance will be prepared and carried out by have a special department under a Deputy Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is to Commissioner for the work. The slum clearance schemes already undertaken by the Delhi Development Authority will be completed by the Delhi Municipal Corporation, as already planned by the Authority,. but through the agency of the Central Public Works Department. The budget estimates of the D. D. A. for 1959-60 provide for the completion of schemes and the starting of new schemes at a cost of Rs. 1,45,82,000. Developed Plots For Slum-Dwellers Mr. R. Venkatraman, Minister for Indus-tries and Labour, presided over a conference of the representatives of the Madras City Corporation and Improvement Trust on July 2 called to discuss the Government proposal,. as part of its slum-clearance-c m-improve-ment scheme, to provide open, developed! (Continued on page 99) |