IN PUSHING us indoors, the COVID-19 lockdown has made us take note of our habitat, the safety and comfort it provides, and the impact it has on our health. The exodus of workers during the lockdown was a good reminder of the clamour for homes in our cities. State governments, like in Delhi and Odisha, had to request landlords to waive off or defer rent.
The situation showed that there was a need of not just state-run housing schemes but also of more affordable rental housing schemes, which our policies and schemes were perhaps not capturing. The Pradhan Mantri Awas YojanaUrban ( PMAY-U), which was launched in 2015 to provide houses to all by 2022, does not focus on rental housing. It is only after witnessing the distress of labourers and their sheer numbers in the cities, that the Centre decided to include affordable rental houses under PMAY-U. So far, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has started building around 0.25 million rental housing units under public-private partnership model, but such examples are few and far between.
Esta historia es de la edición July 01, 2020 de Down To Earth.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 01, 2020 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
