India Wants UN to Shift Focus to Improving Rural Habitats

UNITED NATIONS (NNN-Bernama) -- India on Thursday called on the UN agency for human settlements to shift its focus from urban areas to promoting and improving habitat in the rural parts of the world as growing population begins to take a toll on resources of towns and cities, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat has so far been "by and large focused on urban habitat".

"It is time that it also looks at habitat in rural areas in a concerted way," senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha said at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly here.

He said with 70 per cent of the world population projected to live in urban areas by the year 2050, the demographic dominance of urban areas presents new challenges for governments and policy planners.

India urged the international community to contribute further to the UN Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation enabling the UN agency to provide more financial and seed capital support for slum upgrading and prevention.

"Enhanced efforts by the international community to provide financial and technical assistance, including transfer of technology in areas of poverty eradication and infrastructure support, remain crucial if the human settlements related Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved," Sinha added.

Urbanisation and its varied socio-economic dynamics constitutes one of the most pressing developmental challenges, he said, adding that in the years ahead, global efforts to combat poverty, promote inclusive growth and reduce environmental stress will increasingly be determined by the efforts put in place to integrate urban development into the larger socio-economic planning.

Expansion of urban settlements has lead to emergence of megacities, extensive urban corridors, growth of slums and stress on natural resources.

These pose unprecedented developmental challenges and are being placed at the forefront of national actions, he said, adding that India has identified urbanisation as one of the core issues in its 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017).

Sinha told the UN General Assembly that India is working for governance reform in its local bodies to make them a catalyst for change.

"Our efforts have involved greater representation of all sections of society in local authorities, and expansion of their functional domain to focus on environment, local economic development, as well as innovative resource mobilisation".

India's economic growth in the past decades has led to mass exodus of its population from rural to urban areas.

The country has added 90 million people to its urban population in the last decade, with nearly 50 per cent of India poised to live in cities over the next several years.

With majority of its population still living in rural areas, India has also been actively promoting affordable rural housing.

Sinha cited the example of dedicated housing programmes such as 'Indira Awaas Yojna' that provide direct support through grant-in-aid for construction of dwelling units and upgradation of temporary houses.

Sinha pointed out that India has shared housing technology, including cost-effective, environment friendly and disaster resistant construction, with fellow developing countries within the framework of South-South cooperation.

UN Habitat is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. -- NNN-BERNAMA