Gehlot moots law on “Right to Shelter” (The Hindu 29 June 2011)

Revive national river-link plan, says Chief Minister
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
JAIPUR: Advocating the need for “Right to Shelter”, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sought a new legislation to ensure affordable homes to the country's citizens. The United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre had taken the initiative to provide the Right to Information, Right to Education and Right to Food Security and this law would be a natural corollary to that, he said in Mumbai on Monday speaking at the conference of Western States on preparing the approach to the 12th Five Year Plan.
The conference found Mr. Gehlot talking about revival of the much-debated National River Link Programme, now buried by the UPA Government, by taking it up in the 12th Plan. He also made a request on the implementation of the Sharda-Yamuna link project. Discussing the gap between demand and supply of water in Rajasthan, he said the State would need Rs.50,000 crore to provide quality water to the people. He reiterated the State's demand for setting up an oil refinery in Barmer.
Talking about the shelter, Mr. Gehlot said the State Government had set a target to provide houses to five lakh people under the ‘Affordable Housing Policy'. Besides, Rajasthan has borrowed Rs.3,400 crore as loan from HUDCO for “Mukhyamantri Gramin BPL Awas Yojana”.
Emphasising the need for a refinery, Mr. Gehlot said new estimate had put the crude availability in Barmer wells at 900 million tonnes which would amount to 20 per cent to the total domestic production in the country. When even the States which did not produce oil had refineries a major producer like Rajasthan should not be deprived of one, he asserted.
The Chief Minister thanked the Union Environment Ministry for giving environmental clearance to two coal blocks for seven new super critical power projects in the State. The State's Solar Energy Policy-2011 had led to registration by more than 650 private investors for setting up projects having capacity of more than 15,750 MW and Rajasthan has made its identity as a solar hub, he observed.
He sought cooperation of the Centre to develop a power transmission for the wind energy plants and solar plants of a total capacity of 2000 MW and 4000 MW respectively.