GUWAHATI, July 30: The Union Government has decided to launch a new scheme called Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) for slum dwellers in cities like Guwahati and the urban poor in States, including Assam.
According to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, the preparatory phase of RAY has been launched under the Slum-free City Planning Scheme.
“A sum of Rs 76.34 lakh was released to the Government of Assam in March, 2010 for undertaking activities such as slum survey, developing slum MIS, GIS mapping of slums, integration of GIS & MIS and preparation of slum-free city plans and projects,” said Selja.  
The RAY aims to extend support to States that are willing to assign property rights to people living in slum areas for provision of shelter and basic infrastructure and civic amenities for them.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, Selja said, “To address the problems of slums arising due to demographic and development-related factors in cities/towns,  the government has been implementing Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) since December 3, 2005 to assist cities and towns in taking up housing and infrastructural facilities for the urban poor/slum dwellers in 65 select mission cities, including Guwahati, under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) programme.”
For taking up housing and slum upgrading programmes in other cities/towns, the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) has been launched with the objective of helping holistic slum development and a healthy environment by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities for the slum dwellers.     
  The Union minister said the President, through her address to both Houses of Parliament in June, 2009, had announced the government’s vision for inclusive urban growth and to create a slum-free India in five years through the Rajiv Awas Yojana.
A slum-free India is an aspirational goal for the nation.  As States will choose cities, conduct slum surveys in cities, prepare slum-free city plans adopting a ‘whole city’ ‘whole slum’ approach, the progress of the scheme in States would depend on the pace at which the States concerned assign property rights to slum dwellers, complete the task of preparing slum-free city plans, develop and implement projects, mobilize resources and manpower duly taking into account the central support, Selja added.