HUDCO

The National Urban Housing & Habitat Policy of 2007, states that “Shelter is a basic human need, next only to food and clothing”, prioritising access to housing for all. However, MoHUPA’s Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage 2012 (TG-12) estimated a housing deficit of over 18 million housing units, concentrated in the economically weaker sections (EWS) and lower income groups (LIG) within society.

Besides the initiatives of the Central Government, some states have notified State Housing Policies and several other states are considering such policies for the future. These housing policies attempt to create an appropriate framework that facilitates the access to affordable housing for EWS and LIG segments of society, through both demand and supply interventions.

However, this approach of demand and supply failed to assess the housing question from a more holistic perspective, which is integrated with aspects such as overall development, rural-urban divides, employment and livelihoods, and human development outcomes, among others.

With these broad concerns in mind, the Management Development Programme aimed to familiarise participants with emerging state policies on affordable housing, evaluate their achievements as well as the challenges ahead and share updated information regarding their status.

The programme was intended for housing professionals in the public sector who are involved in the conception, design, management and delivery of public sector urban social housing schemes.

The Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), the Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) partnered to host a one-day National Round-table Conference on ‘Affordable Housing: New Paradigms in State Actions’. The conference was held to leverage diverse experiences in the formulation and implementation of State Housing Policies, and facilitate peer-learning among stakeholders from different geographies who are associated with the affordable housing sector.

The round-table aimed to understand emerging state policies on affordable housing, looking at their achievements as well as challenges ahead. It also aimed to share information and reflections from a select group of representatives of these states along with diverse representation from the Housing Finance Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations and the Private Developers.

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

The Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), the Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), and IIHS partnered to host a one-day National Roundtable Conference on ‘Affordable Housing: New Paradigms in State Actions’. The conference was held to leverage diverse experiences in the formulation and implementation of State Housing Policies, and facilitate peer-learning among stakeholders from different geographies who are associated with the affordable housing sector.

The roundtable aimed to understand emerging state policies on affordable housing, looking at their achievements as well as challenges ahead. It also aimed to share information and reflections from a select group of representatives of these states along with diverse representation from the Housing Finance Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations and the Private Developers.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The MDP was designed for urban practitioners, mainly in the public sector, who are constantly faced with questions about their contribution to the schemes and programmes being implemented. The programme covered essential aspects of the water and sanitation sector including water resources, water supply and distribution, and wastewater. It also covered issues relating to policies, institutions and finances, among others. Some of the insights gathered from the national stakeholder Roundtables held in March and November 2013 were discussed during the programme.

Apart from the experts at IIHS, external specialists from academic and practice backgrounds were invited to provide a real-life and holistic perspective, crucial for urban practitioners operating in the complex realities of Indian cities. The participants for the MDP included officers from HUDCO, and nominees from relevant State Government and city agencies.

The Roundtable aimed to highlight linkages between city level water and sanitation with an emphasis on regional water resources, and wastewater pollution and management. The questions discussed at the Roundtable were:

1. Should regional availability of water resources be the key driver of planning water supply for cities in different region/states?
2. How can urban and industrial wastewater treatment be aligned to regional water resources and environmental conditions?
3. How should water resource management (including treatment/re-use) be conceptualised institutionally? How can cities be incentivised to adapt to regional/local water resources availability? How can they be made accountable for treating their wastewater?
4. Are groundwater based private self-supply and private water tanker markets part of the problem or the solution?
5. Is there a case for state level policies laying out standards of service levels for urban water and sanitation?

The Roundtable had participants from the Government of Karnataka (including Directorate of Municipal Administration, Finance, Mines and Geology, Industries and Commerce), the BWSSB, KUWS&DB, State offices of the Central Groundwater Board, TWAD Board, NGOs (Arghyam, Water Literacy Foundation), WSP-SA, World Bank and the Indian Institute of Science, apart from HUDCO and IIHS representatives.

The IIHS and HUDCO partnered to provide a platform for discussions and reflections on options for improvements in urban water supply and sanitation in Indian cities. A roundtable was held with select stakeholders from the urban sector in Karnataka, on 1 March 2013, at the IIHS Bengaluru City Campus.

The objective was for participants to reflect on the experience of systemic improvement models for urban water and sanitation; and share of perspectives and experiences, irrespective of their institutional affiliation/associations.