Housing and urban development targets ambitious yet bold and transformative: Hardeep Puri

Soon after assuming office, newly inducted minister of state (independent charge) of the ministry of housing and urban affairs Hardeep Puri today said that the government had set “ambitious and bold targets” and that he will take the momentum forward from the work outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former ministry of housing and urban affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who is now the vice president.

“Priorities for the urban sector have already been outlined by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, implemented by vice president Venkaiah Naidu when he was here. I will take the momentum forward. The targets we have are ambitious yet bold and transformative,” he told reporters

The ministry is a “hard core development oriented ministry” and various new urban missions launched over the last three years have been doing well on ground and ‘’I have no doubt we are on way to accomplishing the tasks in given timelines,” he said

Responding to a question on how does he look at the challenge of achieving targets under various missions, Puri said “There are two sets of targets viz., some to be achieved by 2019 and some by 2022. If challenges are not met in two years, they can’t be met even in six years. Going by the progress on the ground, they can be met.”

The new minister later held a two-hour review of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and sought information about various aspects of the target of ensuring decent pucca houses to all the needy urban poor by 2022. He also asked about the expected demand for affordable housing in urban areas besides well performing and not so well performing states and reasons thereof.

Puri will be attending the inauguration of the first phase of 8.50 km stretch of Lucknow Metro between Transport Nagar and Charbagh tomorrow.

A former career diplomat, Puri, 65, is heading a ministry that is spearheading programmes such as Housing for All, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and The National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY).

vandana.ramnani@nw18.com