Page 48 - HUDCO-SHELTER-APR21

POLICY REVIEW

Improvement Plans (SLIPs), the needs of urban deprived particular, these have been used
containing the details of all such communities (Baindur et al., as a single source for all
criteria, are evaluated and 2019). pandemic-related action and
approved by the states and then Several projects undertaken measures (Bengaluru), tracing
combined into the State Annual under the SCM (parking the infected patients as well as
Action Plan for approval by the facilities or real estate identifying the hotspots (Agra),
Ministry. Similarly, city-specific development or commercial real providing telemedicine solutions
plans under the SCM have estate or uses of water meters) (Kota), tracing peoples'
greater scope for variations in seek to build the financial corpus movement during lockdown
program design and of the city (Taraporevala, 2018). period as well as the state of
implementation. Nonetheless, Given the SCM's emphasis on home quarantined people
the operationalization of these the convergence of funds from (Vadodara and Varanasi) and
schemes portrays a worrisome other schemes, the possibility of disseminating awareness videos
picture. transmission of the inherently (Kalyan Dombivali) and so on.
As the city selection under the unequal nature of fund Acknowledging the loopholes in
SCM is based on the city's allocation for Area Based the implementation of SCM and
competence and smartness of Development projects into them AMRUT and some policy
the proposal, state actors engage will make all the policies more reorientation with emphasis on
themselves in a competitive exclusionary. All these will co-producing the bo om-up
mode to a ract capital likely have a regressive impact solutions could have been
investment and to create new on the urban poor's ability to useful. The Budget 2021-22
institutions that are directly access basic services. launched the National Urban
controlled by state (regional) Moreover, it has been observed Digital Mission (NUDM) and
institutions to manage the new that under AMRUT, the other digital initiatives for
state space. Special Purpose provision of 'end to end support' transforming urban governance.
Vehicles (SPVs), headed by a by the Project Development and PMAY: HOUSING FOR ALL
CEO and regulated by the Management Consultants BY 2022
Companies Act 2013, have been (PDMCs) for planning, design,
in charge of mission management and monitoring of -Spurring the Urban Reality
implementation. urban projects will likely to lead Sector
Access to affordable housing is a
The SPVs are headed by the state to the splintering of resources
major problem in Indian cities
government officials and city away from the purview of
and, in general, the economically
governments do not have much democratic accountability
weaker sections and low-income
role in the decision-making (Sadoway et al., 2018).
households remain excluded
processes of the SCM projects, Importantly, 45 smart cities in
thus eventually weakening the India have set up Integrated from the housing market due to
municipal governance structure. Command and Control Centres lack of access to credit and
There is some evidence that (ICCCs) as 24X7 war rooms for affordability as they are mainly
actual decision-making creating situational awareness engaged in informal sector
processes have fallen into a and real-time coordination of employment or are self-
pa ern of strict investment logic, emergency response services employed. The housing market
resulting in preference to larger amid the COVID-19 crisis. In and real estate were already
and costlier infrastructure over suffering from several issues,

46 HUDCO-HSMI Publication