The Hindu Business Line : Kerala announces Housing and Habitat Policy

Action areas
It is estimated that the programme will require institutional loans to the tune of Rs 16,000 crore over the next five years.
The policy lays emphasis on environment-friendly development with energy-saving applications.

Thiruvananthapuram May 16 Creation of a State Shelter Fund with annual accretion of Rs 50 crore; establishment of a `Bhavana Nidhi' by tapping investments from non-resident and resident Indians; strengthening of the micro-finance credit institutions for self-help groups and NGOs; and tapping of additional financial resources through a separate saving-cum-loan scheme are some of the specific action areas envisaged in the Housing and Habitat Policy-2007 of the Kerala Government.

The policy, announced on Wednesday, also proposes levy of 1 per cent cess on the cost of individual residential units with a built-up area of 3,000 square feet and above, which will be pooled into the State Shelter Fund for economically weaker sections and low income groups.

Government Support

The policy has been formulated against the background of the housing requirement of the order of 10 lakh units during the 11th Plan period (2007-2012). Out of this, 4.6 lakh are needed for the very poor under economically weaker sections in urban and rural areas; 1.4 lakh for economically weaker sections above the poverty line; 2 lakh for the low-income group; 1.5 lakh for middle-income group and 50,000 for high-income group.

It is estimated that the programme will require institutional loans to the tune of Rs 16,000 crore over the next five years for LIG, MIG and HIG categories. Besides, assisted housing that will receive Government support will need another Rs 5,000 crore.

The policy calls for making available land at affordable prices. It is reckoned that nearly 3.3-lakh families are landless and houseless and are living in shared accommodation with large families. And they need about 1.5 to 2 cents of land each.

Development Projects

Besides making available land in rural and urban areas, land allotment is proposed to be made in the joint name of male and female heads of the family. In large housing development projects by agencies, 20 to 25 per cent of land will have to be earmarked for economically weaker sections and low-income groups.

The policy lays emphasis on environment-friendly development with energy-saving applications such as solar water heating, rain water harvesting, aquifer recharging, waste water recycling and use of building materials and construction methods that are least energy-intensive.

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