Budget 2019: Homebuyers seek Rs 10,000-cr fund to complete stalled projects

The government in the upcoming budget should create a Rs 10,000-crore fund to complete stalled real estate projects across the country and provide relief to over 500,000 people who have booked properties, according to home buyers’ body FPCE. Budget2019

In its budget recommendation to the finance minister, Forum For People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE), earlier knows as Fight for RERA, also demanded that home buyers should be categorised as primary secured creditors.

“You are aware there are over five lakh home buyers whose hard earned life savings are stuck in different real estate projects across the country due to indefinite delay and fund diversion by builders,” FPCE President Abhay Upadhyay said and pitched for the creation of a stress fund to end the mental and financial stress of these home buyers.

The memorandum further noted that “despite RERA (realty law), most of the ongoing projects have not been completed. It is time now to end this problem by creating a stress fund’ to the tune of at least Rs 10,000 crore to complete stuck real estate projects on pan India basis.”

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PM Narendra Modi starts pre-Budget meets to brainstorm on economy

In the run-up to the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lined up a string of meetings spread across days. He began the exercise on Tuesday with a meeting of top bureaucrats in finance and other key ministries to finalise the government’s priorities. The focus is clearly on reviving the economy and creating jobs, officials in the know said.

Next, the PM will interact with economists, bankers and sectoral experts through the week to brainstorm on pressing issues such as agriculture, reforms and effective implementation of signature schemes and projects.

Tuesday’s meeting at the PM’s residence, attended by all the five secretaries in the finance ministry besides top officials of other economic ministries and NITI Aayog, cleared a five-year vision plan for the government to make India a $5-trillion economy by 2024, it is learnt. Also, the future course of PM’s pet projects like doubling farmers’ income, PM-Kisan, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, piped water for all, and electricity for all came up for discussion.

The focal point of the interaction was drawing a road map for reforms across departments leading up to the ease of doing business and economic growth. GDP growth, which has been a controversial issue recently due to doubts raised over government data, was discussed too. Stepping up government revenues while carrying out reform to push GDP growth, which slipped to a five-year low of 6.8 per cent in 2018-19, also figured in the meeting, sources said.

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