Slum-free India:

Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana

Deepti Gaur Mukerjee

Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation,
Government of India, New Delhi
pkmohanty_ed@yahoo.com
 Rajiv Awas Yojana – Slum-free India
(Announcement by President of India on
4th June, 2009)
“My Government proposes to introduce a Rajiv Awas Yojana
for the slum dwellers and the urban poor on the lines of the
Indira Awas Yojana for the rural poor. The schemes for
affordable housing through partnership and the scheme for
interest subsidy for urban housing would be dovetailed into the
Rajiv Awas Yojana which would extend support under
JNNURM to States that are willing to assign property rights to
people living in slum areas.

My Government's effort would be to create a slum free India in

five years through the Rajiv Awas Yojana.”
Broad overview of steps
necessary for RAY
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks
Legislative Framework for Property Rights
• Legislation for Property Right (Right to Dwelling Space) to Slum-dwellers

• Amendments to Existing Laws: Town Planning, Urban Development,

Municipal Corporation, Slum, Housing, Revenue etc. - Fixing Norms for
Planning of Informal Settlements and Provision of Infrastructure & Housing;
Preventing Slums in future

Identification & Demarcation of Slums

• Identification & demarcation of all Slums: Notified, Non-notified, Tenable,
Non-tenable, etc., adopting ‘Whole City’ approach, dividing the City into
Zones/Grids (based on land value/other parameters) for operational
purposes

Procurement of Satellite Imagery & Base Map Preparation

• Procurement of Cartosat II 1 Metre Resolution Images from Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)/National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for
City/Urban Agglomeration, Zones/Grids and Slum Locations; Geo-
referencing & Preparation of Base Maps (1:5000 scale) indicating Slums
and their Internal and External Infrastructure Connectivities
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks …contd.
Slum Survey & Development of Slum MIS
• Establish Slum-free City Cells
Formation of Slum Survey Teams & Supervisory Teams, Conduct Training Programmes
involving Municipal Administration/Statistics Departments, Census/NSSO/CSO Trainers

• Conduct Slum Survey

Detailed Model Formats on Slum, Household & Livelihoods Surveys and Guidelines for
Training circulated to all States by National Buildings Organisation (NBO); Community to be
closely involved in Survey and Slum-free City Planning processes (States like Andhra
Pradesh have adopted Community Self-Survey Model)

• Development of web-enabled MIS,

Entry of data from Slum Surveys, compilation, collation and preparation of Slum Profiles,
City/Zone and State Database

• Socio-economic Analysis of Data generated through Slum MIS –

Preparation of Analytical ‘State of Slum’ Reports – City and State.
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks …contd.
GIS Mapping of Slums
• Training in GIS Mapping Tools using latest technology with the involvement
of ISRO/NRSC/Partners of NRSC/Other Agencies

• Development of Slum/Zone/City/Agglomeration Maps using GIS Tools :

(i) Cartosat II imagery secured from the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO)/National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)/ Other
Sources

(ii) Ground truthing and geo-spatial data measurement, collection and

collation of data and superimposing the same on the Satellite Images
GIS-enabled Slum Information System
• Integration of Slum MIS with GIS Maps to enable the preparation of a
dynamic GIS-enabled Slum Information System - Slum-wise, Zone-wise and
for City; Getting an Integrated Picture based on Spatial and Socio-economic
analysis of Data
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks …contd.
Choice of Land Tenure/Development Model
• Putting in place Community Organisation and community engagement
mechanisms – may be led by a Lead NGO for City/Zone

• Establishing Tenurial/Property Rights and Grievances Redressal

Mechanism; Undertaking Biometric Surveys of Eligible Dwellers

• Stakeholders and community consultation - Participatory decision-

making regarding the choice of model of land tenure / property right
and development for each slum:
In situ PPP covering infrastructure and housing with or without FSI/zoning
incentives; In situ land sharing and infrastructure provision only, with beneficiary-
driven/incremental housing; In situ community-based development through Rajiv
Awas Housing Societies; Relocation; Rental/Ownership/Rental-cum-Ownership
Housing, etc.

• Preference for Models with Land as a Resource, involving Public-

Private Partnerships – Commercialising part of Land and developing
Multi-storeyed housing in the other part (Suitable land use/zoning
relaxations needed).
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks …contd.
Preparation of Slum Development Plan
• Slum Reconfiguration / De jure Formalization – following Special
Town Planning Norms applicable for Informal Sector Settlements as
per Town Planning Laws/Regulations and Development Model
chosen

• Plan for Internal Infrastructure: water supply, sewerage, storm

drainage, solid waste management, roads, power transmission lines
& sub-stations, parks & playgrounds, education & health
infrastructure, livelihoods centres / workplaces, informal sector
markets etc.

• Plan for External Connectivities – Establishing links to City-wide

Infrastructure Networks

• Plan for Housing based on chosen Development Model using a

Zonal/City-wide approach – bunching of high-density and low-density
slums and accommodating dwellers from non-tenable locations
 Operationalising Rajiv Awas Yojana –
Preparatory Tasks …contd.
Preparation of Slum-free City/State Plan
• Amalgamation of Slum Development Plans – Zone/Grid/City
• Integrating Slum-free City Plan with City-wide Infrastructure
Development Plan [City Development Plan (CDP)]
• Slum-free City Financing Plan, including Credit Mobilisation for the
Poor, Internal Earmarking in Municipal Budget for the Urban
Poor/Creation of BSUP/Shelter Fund, etc.
• Slum-free City Plan Implementation Framework, including
establishment of Institutional structure, e.g. State/City Slum
Rehabilitation Authority as in Maharashtra
• City-wide Policies for Slum Prevention including Reservation of
Land/Housing for the Poor in Private & Public Housing Colonies and
Creation of Affordable Housing stock,
• Plan for Implementation of Pro-poor Reforms stipulated under
JNNURM and according Property Right to Slum Dwellers
• Slum-free State Plan – Sum of Slum-free City Plans plus Policy
Framework and Plan of Action for Prevention of Slums in the Future
 Status update
• First installment of funds released to 20 states for
preparatory activities

• States in the process of setting up state and city level

nodal officers and technical cells.

• Slum Surveys : commenced in many states

• Slum MIS: The MIS software has been developed by

CGG and it is under the pilot testing phase. Some
ULBs have started entering the data into the software
for the purpose.
 Status Update -Guidelines for
Preparation of Slum Free City plans:

• Sub-committee for slum free city planning

held its meeting on 10th August, 2010
– draft guidelines to get inputs from present
workshop organized by CEPT.
• Community mobilization guidelines for
involvement of communities in the plan
preparation and survey process are being
formulated in consultation with NGOs &
other stakeholders.
Thank you