New Delhi: A new housing policy, with focus on expansion of housing for weaker sections in rural areas and to expedite urban reforms process, is on the anvil.

The policy will be announced soon, Union Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja said at the concluding session of the two-day State Housing Ministers' Conference in New Delhi.

She said the Government would try its best to incorporate in the policy suggestions made by various State Governments.

Selja said a joint conference of State Housing and Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Ministers will be held to evolve a common strategy to check migration from rural areas by undertaking developmental activities in those areas.

She also said efforts would be made to hasten urban reforms process using Urban Reforms Incentive Fund.

The Minister said a mission mode project would be formulated soon by dovetailing some of the existing central schemes, which came in for close scrutiny at the two-day meet.

Suggestions made by the participants include revision of Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana guidelines taking into consideration difficulties faced by various State Agencies, waiving of Stamp Duty for Economically Weaker Section housing, computerisation of land records, simplification and streamlining of transaction procedures in a time-bound manner by State Governments and rationalisation of house tax and property tax.