Central govt targets to sanction 12 lakh houses in 115 backward districts

The government targets to sanction over 12 lakh houses in 115 backward districts identified for development in 18 months under a housing scheme, taking the total tally to 18.5 lakh, according to official document.Currently, 6.32 lakh houses has been sanctioned under the Pradhan Manti Awas Yojana (Urban) for these districts. There is demand for 18.5 lakh houses in these districts which account for 8 per cent of the total urban population, according to Housing and Urban Affairs ministry data.The data was made available by the NITI Aayog on its website today.Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had interacted with collectors and officers in-charge of these districts here. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, projects worth Rs 6,021 crore would be spent to improve coverage of water supply and sewerage in the identified districts. Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), 249 urban local bodies (ULBs) or 48 per cent of the total 517 in these districts have bagged the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. As part of its plans to move forward, the ministry plans convergence of various missions, focus on awareness and enabling environment through social behaviour and conduct periodic reviews, among others, according to the document.