Thursday, August 3 2006 17:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A Parliamentary Standing Committee has slammed the Government for having no vision to reform the position of rural housing and suggested review of the Constitutional position that the matter is a State subject.

Noting that it seems as if there is no vision to reform the position of housing in rural areas, it felt that housing for the poor, weaker and disadvantaged sections was the responsibility of the State as well as the Union Government.

"The Committee would like the Government to explore the possibility to include housing as a subject in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution through a constitutional amendment," the Standing Committee on Rural Development said in its 137-page report on Rural Housing tabled in Parliament today.

The report said on the one hand initiatives like 'Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA)' are being taken by the Government on the other hand, there is least concern to improve the housing position in rural areas.

It said rural housing was perceived to be people's responsibility and the quality of construction was "the least concern" of the Government.

The Committee strongly recommended that while formulating a separate policy for rural areas, it should be ensured that the role of the Government is not limited to grant based schemes and the policy addresses to needs and aspirations of all sections of the society.