Innovative Stream for Rural Housing and Habitat Development- Guidelines

From the year 1999-00, a small portion of Rural Housing resources have been kept apart for the implementation of special and innovative projects related to rural housing construction and habitat development.

Rationale, Objective and Target Group

The rationale for this scheme is the need for standardizing and popularizing/ replicating/ propagating cost effective environment friendly housing/ construction technologies, designs and materials and evolving idealtypes of sustainable rural human settlements consistent with agro climatic variations and natural disaster proneness.  The objectives of the Innovative Stream for Rural Housing and Habitat Development is to promote/ propagate innovative and proven housing technologies, designs and materials in the rural areas.  Further since housing is now not merely a matter of constructing four walls and a roof, but involves the development of suitable, sustainable habitats, initiatives that lend themselves to superior habitat development will be supported.

Among those who may apply for project assistance under the Innovative Stream include recognized educational/ technical institutions; corporate bodies and autonomous societies with experience in the technology promotion and application; State Governments and development institutions and credible NGOs with proven track record and experience in the rural housing construction and habitat development etc.
 
Project Screening Committee

The projects submitted under this Stream would be considered for approval by a Central Level Screening Committee comprising of

Secretary Rural Development     …Chairman
Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor   …Member
Representative from one credible institution involved
In the field of technology dissemination    …Member
 

Advisor (Rural Development) Planning Commission…Member
Joint Secretary (Rural Housing)   …Member Secretary

Broad guidelines for project formulation

1. The projects should contain innovative elements especially in regard to convergence of shelter and habitat development and inter departmental and inter disciplinary implementation at the ground level.
2. The project should also possess potential of replicability after the pilot stage is over.
3. Projects relating to areas which are remote, inaccessible, disaster affected and extremely backward in social and economic infrastructure shall be preferred.
4. The project should go beyond the normal features which can be covered by the ongoing Rural Housing programmes in general.
5. Project document should clearly spell out the management structure, monitoing provision and specify implementation responsibilities.
6. The total cost of the project submitted by an NGO/ autonomous society  should in normal circumstances not exceed Rs 20 lakh and for eminent educational/ technical/ research institutions, the maximum lending could be to the tune of Rs 50 lakh.
7. The total duration of the project should not in normal circumstances exceed 2 years.
8. Releases under the project shall be made on an annual basis.  Second and all supplementary instalments will be released only on the satisfactory implementation of the earlier phase.
9. The Project Steering Committee may from time to time coopt DG Capart or his nominee or any other expert to evaluate the credentials of NGOs submitting applications.
10. The recurring costs of post or maintainence expenditure should not be admitted in the projects.  However the project document must clearly specify as to how or from where it is proposed to be met from.
11. Projects must contain a well planned strategy based on a thorough assessment of the local situation and resources to tackle specific problems such as depleting biomass; housing quality, deteriorating habitat etc.
12. A project document should interalia include details about likely beneficiaries, cost benefit statement, potential for replicability, likely spinoffs in terms of physical assets and financial growth, complementarity with other NGOs, institutional linkages etc.