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Book
Review
Framework for a Rural Habitat Policy for India
Responding to the needs of the poor
Publisher : Development
Alternatives
Price : Rs. 286
Pages
: 26
If
roti, kapada, makaan, be the three most basic requirements for
human survival, the first two mentioned can be acquired, certainly on
short term, if not long term basis. But the third vital need, makaan
or shelter, proves most elusive, especially for people bordering on
or below the poverty line everywhere and in the rural areas it is even
more difficult for denizens to grasp a permanent habitation.
Four walls and a roof may
constitute a makeshift shelter but it cannot qualify as a house.
Effective rural habitat needs to address certain critical criteria, a
housing has to include water, sanitation facilities, community and
livelihood infrastructure and an access to natural resources.
Housing is essentially a
“people’s process”, more so in the rural areas where the formal sector
has played a negligible role, the national budget for rural development
has increased over the years; yet there is increasing houselessness and
inadequate infrastructure in most of India’s 55 lakh villages.
With the
above preface, Development Alternatives has embarked on the second
volume of its research on Rural Habitat Development. It is a sequel to
an earlier one on Rural Habitat Processes that put forth tried
and tested experiments in habitat development in 13 projects across the
world.
The current book recognizes that
India does not need a separate habitat policy to specifically address
the needs of the rural areas. It provides a framework for a rural
habitat policy to effectively replicate the success of a few thousand
homes in a few villages to the vast millions across the country.
The book is intended for
use by policy makers and policy influencers in India, for elected
representatives and government officials who have the power and
resources to make a difference. It is also a useful guide for academics
working on rural development. This book could well be a catalyst for a
meaningful dialogue between various power and resource blocks and
ultimately result in providing more dignity to rural life.
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