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THE period of the first five year plan witnessed the first steps in a national housing programme which will assume growing importance in future plans. This included a subsidised industrial housing scheme and a low income group housing scheme. Housing schemes for plantation labour and for labour in coal and mica mines were also implemented as part of the programme. These programmes are being substantially expanded during the second five year plan, in the course of which it is proposed to take up three new programmes, namely, rural-housing, slum clearance and sweepers' housing and middle income group housing. The tasks undertaken through these programmes, and the proposals formulated for the second five year plan are explained briefly below. Against a total provision in the first plan of Rs. 38.5 crores, the second plan has allotted a sum of Rs. 120 crores which is distributed as follows:-
(Rs crores)
Subsidised industrial housing 45
Low income group housing 40
Rural housing 10
Slum clearance and sweepers' housing 20
Middle income group housing 3
Plantation-housing 2
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TOTAL 120
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Housing schemes for wokers in the coal industry are Financed from the Coal Mines Labour Welfare Fund which is expected to provide over the five-year period about Rs. 8 crores. Housing schemes for mica and coal mines are the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, the other schemes being administered by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply.
2. In addition to these schemes, substantial housing programmes are undertaken by the Ministries of Rehabilitation, Defence, Railways, iron and Steel, Production, Communications, Works, Housing and Supply etc. %ate Governments and a certain number of local authorities also have their own housing programmes. It is estimated that during the first plan the Ministry of Rehabilitation provided 323,000 houses or tenements in urban areas and State Governments and Central Ministries other than the Ministry of Works. Housing and Supply about 300,000 unit Including the other housing schemes mentioned above, public authorities provided during, the first plan, about, 742,000 houses or tenements. It is difficult to estimate the extent of private construction. An enquiry carried out for the Taxation enquiry Commission indicated that the total investment on urban housing during 1953-54 was about Rs. 125 crores. If this is taken as a kind of average for the five year period, and the average cost of a house is assumed to be about Rs. 10,000. it would appear that during the first plan about 600,000 units have been provided in the private sector. Thus, during the first plan about 1.3 million urban houses were added. In the nature of things, the estimate of private construction is liable to vary according to the assumptions which are made.
3. For housing programmes to be undertaken during the second five year plan the following targets have been adopted:
Number of houses/
tenements
Subsidised industrial housing 128,000
Low Income group housing 68,000
Re-housing of slum dwellers, including
sweeprs 110,000
Middle income group housing 5,000
Plantation labour housing 11,000
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TOTAL 322,000
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Programmes undertaken by other Central Ministries, by State Governments and local authorities and those pertaining to coal mines labour are expected to provide 753,000 units, in addition to private construction, which was been reckonede for the second plan period at 800,000 units. Thus, the total programme 1.9 million units as compared to about 1.3 million during the first plan.
SUBSIDISED INDUSTRIAL HOUSING SCHEME 4. The subsidised industrial housing scheme was at first approved for industrial workers governed by the factores Act, but now includes also mine-workers
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other than those engaged in the coal and mica industries for whom There are separate schemes. Under the industrial housing scheme,loans and grants are given by the Central Government to State Governments and public authorities, to employers and to co-operatives of industrial workers. For one-room tenements, the maximum cost prescribed is Rs. 4,500 for multistoreyed tenements in Bombay and Calcutta and Rs. 2,700 elsewhere. For two-roomed tenements the corresponding figures are Rs. 5,430 (now raised to Rs. 5,930) in Bombay and Calcutta and at other places Rs. 3,340 for single-storeyed tenements and Rs. 3,490 for double-storeyed tenements. For State Governments 50 per cent of the cost is given by way of loan and SO per cent as subsidy; for co-operatives 50 per cent as loan and 2S per cent as subsidy; and for employers 37 1/2 per cent as loan and 25 per cent as subsidy. The period of repayment is 15 years in the case of employers and 25 years in other cases.
5. In the course of the first five year plan a total construc- tion' programme for 79,679 tenements was approved. Of these, 19,195 were planned for construction Bombay, 21,709 in Uttar Pradesh, 5,629 in Hyderabad, 5,181 in Madhya Pradesh, 3,444 in Madhya Bharat and smaller numbers in other States. The number of tenements completed before the end of the first five plan is estimated to be about 40,000. Out of the total number of tenements approved, 68,200 or about 85 per cent are being constructed by State Governments, 10,161 or about 13 per cent by private employers, and 1,318 or 1.6 per cent. by co-opera- tive societies of industrial workers. When the scheme was formulated a larger response was expected from employers and from co-operatives. This aspect of the scheme is under investigation and steps necessary for securing a greater response from employers and from cooperatives of industrial workers are being, studied.
LOW INCOME GROUP HOUSING 6. The low income group housing scheme, which was introduced towards the end of 1954, provides for the grant of long-term house building loans at a reasonable rate of interest to persons whose income does not exceed Rs. 6,000 per annum. Loans are given to individuals as well as to cooperatives whose members fulfil this condition. The assistance is restricted to 80 per cent. of the estimated cost of construction, including land, and is subject to a maximum of Rs.8,000. The scheme also provides for loans to State Governments at 3 1/4 per cent. interest repayable in three years for acquisition and development of land by local authorities and its allotment to prospective builders. Local bodies, charitable institutions, hospitals, etc., can obtain assistance under this scheme for building houses to be let to their low paid employees or on hire purchase terms. By the end of the second plan loans amounting to about Rs. 21.5 crores had been sanctioned for about 40,000 houses and for various land development schemes. The low income-group housing scheme has tried to meet a widely felt need and large numbers of persons have sought to take advantage of it. However, on account of high land prices and the lack of suitably developed sites, progress in the construction of houses under the scheme It as not been as rapid as was hoped for.
7. The provision of developed land on an adequate scale and at reasonable cost is crucial to the success of all housing programmes; for, besides low income group housing, sites have to be provided for private individuals, for co-operatives and for private businesses. Private construction, especially amongst people of small or moderate means is likely to make greater progress if developed sites can be made available by local authorities at low rates, which may be subject to appropriate conditions regarding resale. High land values and a general scarcity of plots are an important reason, for the slow progress of housing in recent years, especially in towns which have grown rapidly. It would therefore, appear desirable to provide assistance to State Governments and local authorities for developing sites for sale to persons who have low incomes and wish to build houses for their own use, whether or not they are applicants for loans under the specific low income group housing scheme which is being implemented. It is further suggested that a proportion of funds available under the scheme for low income housing might be used for land development on a planned basis, special attention being given to those towns where considerable congestion exists and to towns which are likely to develop more rapidly on account of development programmes to be undertaken during the second five year plan. State Governments may examine in consultation with individual local authorities how far action can be pursued along these lines. Sites might also be developed for lease as distinguished for sale.
RURAL HOUSING 8. As the data cited in the next section of this chapter illustrates, the improvement of housing conditions in rural areas is a task of enormous dimensions. A large proportion of the 54 million houses in rural areas need to be rebuilt or substantially improved. Sooner or later, every village should have a plan which provides for wide streets with drains, proper spacing of houses, the location of community buildings and a playground for children. While the improvement of rural housing is an aspect of general rural development and there will be greater progress in housing as rural prosperity increases, there are certain directions in which specific action is called for. Such action may be on a small scale at first but can be readily extended in due course. In rural housing, the bulk of
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the materials employed are locally available, and fuller use can be lmade of them. There is considerable scope for voluntary co-operative labour and local community action and, if the right approach is adopted from the beginning, fairly rapid progress can be achieved. Increase in population has intensified the problem of congestion and additional sites are required almost everywhere. The worst congestion exists in the case of scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes and artisans and, generally, among landless sections of the village population, although the problem is by no means confined to them. The housing conditions of under-privileged sections in village communities are often extremely bad and need urgent attention. Artisans live and work under conditions which are already a serious impediment to the adoption of improved techniques, besides being injurious to health. The traditional designs of houses in villages, even for sections of the population which are somewhat better off, do not provide for the minimum requirements of light ventilation and drainage. In all villages the need for introducing improved methods of excreta disposal is being increasingly felt and the time has come for a large-scale effort in this direction. Finally, improved lay- outs for village abadis have to be introduced, both for new villages and for expansions of existing villages,
9. These are sonic of the principal tasks to be undertaken for bringing about better living conditions in villages, and in all of them a great deal can be done in the course of the second plan if various rural programmes are implemented at the district and village level in a coordinated manner with maximum cooperation from the people. Improvement of rural housing has to be viewed, not as an isolated objective, but as a part of the larger scheme of rural reconstruction, which includes improvement of agricultural production, cooperative working in as many fields as possible, rural water supply, drainage, sanitation, village roads, welfare programmes for scheduled castes and other back-ward classes and programmes for providing more work and better living conditions for village artisans. During the second plan, resources have been allocated for these and other activities As the rural community programme succeeds and Village communities assume larger responsibilities, improvements in village housing conditions are to be expected. At this stage, what is required is that in each national extension and community project area and elsewhere, village communities should he made fully conscious of the housing problem and those steps which are urgent should be initiated, such as expansion of the village abadi, provision of sites and other assistance for Harijans and the various backward sections, adoption of better standards for houses constructed in the future and introduction of better lighting, ventilation and drainage in existing honses.
10. During the first plan, some steps have been' taken towards the improvement of living conditions in villages. In community project areas, 58,000 rural latrines, 1600 miles of drains and 20,000 wells have been constructed and 34,000 wells renovated, the corresponding figures in national extension areas being 80.1000 rural latrines, 2700 miles of drains, 30,000 new wells and 51,000 renovated wells. In national extension and community project areas, about 29,000 houses were constructed and about the same number reconditioned. In a number of States, brick kilns are being established in rural areas, in some cases through cooperatives. In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, 16 cooperative brick kilns were established in 1950-51; by 1954-55 the number had risen to 752, and in villages within easy reach of brick kilns, improved types of houses are being built to an increasing extent. In several States attempts are being made to improve housing conditions of Harijans through allotment of sites and formation of co-operative housing societies. At the Centre, the Ministry of Works, Housing and Supply has set up a Rural Housing Cell with the object of studying various problems in this field and evolving better designs, lay-outs and methods of construction and better utilisation of local materials.
11. A rural housing programme is necessarily in the nature of an aided self-help programme in which education and guidance play a large part. Assistance from Government will mainly be in the form of technical advice, demonstrations of model houses and model villages, provision of improved designs and lay-outs, pilot experiments relating to the uses of local materials, organisation of co-operative village programmes based on voluntary labour and, in some measure, provision of financial assistance, especially for Harijans and other backward classes. It would be desirable for every State to have a small technical unit in its Housing Department for evolving designs of houses and lay-outs suited to local conditions, and for studying possible uses for local materials. Further, the various agencies of Government which are concerned with one aspect or the other of rural development should co-ordinate their efforts with one another and with the national extension service. In respect of Harijans and other backward classes, as proposed in Chapter XVI, extension workers should take steps to see that village communities try to provide free plots of land for house construction by landless agricultural workers. Wherever provisions for financial assistance exist, for instance, for improving housing conditions of Harijans and other backward classes and for setting up rural community worksbops, co-operative societies should be constituted and mutual aid teams organised. Rural housing programmes on these lines
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can help not only to raise rural living standards but also to increase rural employment and bring about fuller utilisation of the available man-power resources.
SLUM CLEARANCE AND SWEEPERS HOUSING 12. The existence of slums in every large town is a matter of serious concern. During the past two or three years a fraction of slum dwellers have been moved out of their habitations as a result of the subsidised industrial housing scheme. But on the whole the slum problem continues much as it was. Unless steps are taken to make it impossible for new slums to come into existence, the problem of slums will become even larger. For preventing the growth of slums there are two sets of measures to be taken. In the first place, municipal by- laws must be enforced with the utmost strictness. In the enforcement of municipal by-laws the support of enlightened public opinion should be mobilised and potential slums should receive immediate attention. Secondly, master plans should be approved for every town, beginning with towns which are already large or have expanded much in recent years or are likely to grow rapidly in the next few years. For enforcing master plans, local authorities should have the requisite powers to implement zoning schemes, control the use of land and prevent ribbon development. Where necessary, new authorities may be set up. In Delhi. a special development authority has been recently constituted.
13. While action is taken to prevent the development of slums in the future, it is also essential to tackle the problems of existing slums. To a large extent there is no alternative to their demolition and clearance, but there may be cases where measures for improvement are feasible, Hitherto proposals for slum clearance have been held back because of three difficulties, namely, the high cost of acquisition of slums, the unwillingness of slum dwellers to move to distant places on account of the fear that their social and economic life will be dislocated, and the need for subsidising the construction of houses so that they can be let to slum dwellers at rates which they can afford to pay. These aspects have been kept in view by the Central Government in evolving a new scheme for slum clearance and sweepers' housing for which a total provision of Rs. 20 crores has been made in the second five year plan.
14. With the object of reducing the cost of acquisition of slums, which are disproportionately high at present especially in the larger towns, it has been recommended that State Governments should take advantage of the provisions of Article 31 of the Constitution. Delays which occur in land acquisition proceedings should also be eliminated through appropriate modifications in the legislation. Under the slum clearance and sweepers' housing scheme which is now to, be implemented, State Governments are being asked to undertake social and economic surveys of their worst slum areas in the larger towns and to draw up phased programmes of slum clearance. The scheme is based on two main principles. The first principle is that there should be the minimum dislocation of slum dwellers and the effort should be to rehouse them as far as possible at or near the existing sites of slums, so that they may not be uprooted from their fields of employ- ment. The second principle is that in order to keep rents within the paying capacity of the slum dwellers, greater emphasis should be on the provision of minimum standards of environmental, hygiene and essential civic amenities rather than on the construction of elaborate structures. Within the allocation made in the plan, it is proposed that the Central Government should provide 25 per cent of the cost as subsidy and 50 per cent. by way of loan repayable in 30 years, State Governments being required to find the remaining 25 per cent of the cost as subsidy from their own resources. It is proposed that wherever practicable, and especially where the rent paying capacity of the slum dwellers is extremely small, State Governments and local bodies should provide slum dwellers with developed and demarcated plots of land vaying from 1000 to 1200 sq. ft. in area as well as limited quantities of building materials, leaving it to slum dwellers to build houses for themselves as far as possible on the prescribed pattern and under appropriate guidance on a self-help and mutual aid basis. Standard costs. of slum clearance and slum improvement projects have been worked out for the guidance of State Governments. The rehousing benefits to be provided under the scheme are intended for those slum families whose income does not exceed Rs. 250 per mensem in Bombay and Calcutta and Rs. 175 per mensem elsewhere, Families with higher incomes are to be encouraged to take advantage of loans under the low income group housing and other schemes and it is also' proposed that they should be given assistance in procuring land and some part of the land developed by States may be set apart for them. Since a large proportion of slum dwellers in most towns are sweepers, it is expected that under the new programme large numbers of sweepers will be able to move to new houses from their present habitations.