BENGALURU: A day after presenting his proposals for the upcoming budget to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Housing minister U T Khader held a meeting of Taluk Panchayat presidents to access challenges in the implementation of housing schemes. On Wednesday, the sole Congress MLA from Mangaluru and now a minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition cabinet, U T Khader spoke to The New Indian Express about his vision for the ministry, realistic expectation of the new budget and why he believes his government will complete five years in power. Excerpts:
As minister for housing, what are your vision and the target groups?
Housing for all is our ultimate motive in rural and urban areas. But till now only rural housing schemes have been efficient. About 40 per cent of the rural population is shifting to urban localities and in the next 10 years, close to 50 per cent are expected to shift. Along with rural housing schemes, we have to work towards urban housing too. Affordable housing should be made available to homeless people in urban areas. In rural projects, effective implementation is required and we are accessing actual implementation, ground reality of schemes and the hurdles we face so we can rectify it even at the gram panchayat level. We will take the Centre’s support to come up with urban housing schemes.
What are your proposals for this budget? Are there new projects in the pipeline?
I have made a few proposals on various aspects before the Chief Minister to be included in the budget but will have to wait and watch. Can speak about what was included and what wasn’t only after the presentation of the budget. We can’t expect more for Housing department this time since this is a revised budget. We will have to see how the farm loans waiver will take place. I can’t think just as Housing minister but as a colleague in the government. We have to implement 6th pay commission on salary hikes as well. We will continue with existing schemes for now and perhaps get better schemes in the coming years. I, however, do not expect a cut of funds allocated to the ministry.
How will your ministry implement the SC/ST sub-plan?
We are introducing a specific software for SC/STs who want to apply for a house on the basis of demand and targets we have set. They will only have to apply online and not stand in line at panchayat offices. There will be no waiting list or selection process. Those who apply online will be given houses in coordination with the social welfare department. Any hurdles in implementation will be sorted with the finance department.
What went wrong for the Congress in three districts of Coastal Karnataka?
People’s opinion changed at the last moment. We (Congress) need introspection on what and where we went wrong. Despite a lot of development, pro-people and pro-poor schemes, lack of anti-incumbency and positive feedback from everywhere we went, we didn’t get votes. On the voting day, people didn’t see our faces and things changed. There are many dimensions to politics and we are in the process of rectifying.
Dissent and disapproval still exist in the coalition government. Does it bother you?
Every coalition government faces such small issues. That is the beauty of Indian democracy. Senior leaders of the party will sit and resolve all issues. As ministers, we are confident that this government will complete full five years. As minister for housing, I will work together with the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister as well as the coordination committee chief.