कैश फॉर क्लोजनेस… सिंगापुर की इस अनोखी स्कीम से भारत के महानगर क्या सबक ले सकते हैं? – Singapore cash for closeness housing scheme family lessons India ntc sdsh
It is seven o’clock in the evening. On the 22nd floor of a concrete tower in Mumbai’s Lower Parel, 32-year-old Neha is juggling between taking care of her two-year-old daughter and sorting out the remaining office files. At the same time, his 65-year-old parents are drinking tea alone in a flat on the other side of Mumbai, i.e. in Thane. Neha wants her parents to live with her or close by, so that they can spend time with their grandchildren and be each other’s shield when needed. But the skyrocketing prices of Mumbai’s property market and huge stamp duty have made this gap a compulsion.
This is not just Neha’s story, but this is the bitter reality of lakhs of working couples living in all the metropolitan cities of India like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The rapid pace of urbanization has broken our traditional joint families and transformed them into nuclear families.
Is there any solution to handle this breaking social fabric? Yes, many countries of the world are doing new experiments in this direction. A similar experiment is Singapore Of. The government there made a policy which is once again giving a safe roof to the shattered relationships amid the high prices of land. The name of this magical formula is – Proximity Housing Grant which is also known as ‘Cash for Closeness’ scheme.
The Housing and Development Board of Singapore started this scheme in the year 2015. It provides direct cash assistance to those who decide to stay close to their families when purchasing a home. There are many types of rules in this. If a married couple buys a resale flat to live together with their parents, the government directly gives them a cash subsidy of up to 30,000 Singapore dollars i.e. Rs 21 lakh in Indian rupees.
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If they do not want to live in the same house, but buy a flat within 4 kilometers of the parents’ or children’s house, the government still gives them a grant of 20,000 Singapore dollars, or about 15 lakhs in Indian rupees. There is also a provision for singles in this scheme. The Singapore government has also included single citizens above 35 years of age. If they take a house with their parents or within a 4 kilometer radius of their parents, they get assistance ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 Singapore dollars.
The most important thing is that there is no income cap for this grant. Whether you are rich or middle class, if you are living near family, you are entitled to this financial help. Since the beginning of this scheme, thousands of families have taken direct benefit of it. According to HBD data, they have built more than 12 lakh flats in all the cities so that people can buy houses cheaply.
But, if we look at the question of what impact it had on people’s lives, then many facts come to light. Since, the Singapore government took this step not just as a housing policy but as a major social engineering tool. Due to this, three big positive changes were seen in people’s lifestyle-
1. Ending loneliness of the elderly: The aging population and their loneliness is the biggest problem facing the rich countries of the world today. Thanks to this scheme, now elderly parents are not forced to live in an old-age home or a deserted flat away from their children. They are seeing their grandchildren growing before their eyes every day, which is improving their mental and physical health.
2. Boon for Working Couples: In an expensive and busy city like Singapore, it is common for both husband and wife to work. In such a situation, raising children becomes a big headache. When grandparents are only a few minutes away, huge expenses of leaving children in crèche are saved. Instead of leaving children at the mercy of maids, they also get values and security from their families.
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3. Less financial burden of social security: The Singapore government’s vision is that when families take care of each other, the financial burden on the government for old-age homes, government health services and senior citizen welfare schemes is reduced. Giving cash subsidy to citizens is a much more effective and cheaper deal than paying for future construction of government hospitals and care homes.
What are the lessons for India’s metros?
It is often believed that with economic progress, joint families break up. But Singapore proved that if governments make right and sensitive policies, family values can be preserved even amidst modernity. There are big lessons hidden in this for India-
– The generation of 30 to 45 years living in the metropolitan cities of India has today become the ‘Sandwich Generation’. These are the people who are juggling between raising their young children and worrying about the health of their elderly parents who live far away. Reports show that house prices in the top-7 cities of India have increased by 20-30% in the last few years. In such a situation, it becomes financially impossible for a young professional to buy a second house near his parents.
– The Government of India runs big housing schemes like PMAY but it mainly focuses on providing a roof over the heads of the economically weaker sections. If family closeness is included in future urban policies, it can have revolutionary results. If a person buys a house within a radius of 3 or 5 kilometers of his elderly parents, he should be given a rebate of 2-3% in stamp duty. In such cases, additional subsidy can also be given on the interest rate of home loan. It can be started first as a pilot project in some places and after good results, it can be implemented in other cities.
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This will not only benefit the people but will also give a new boost to sectors like real estate. Then developers will also be able to design such housing societies where the needs of senior citizens and young families can be met simultaneously. Because true development is not that which leaves humans alone in the race for progress. The real smart city is one where along with technology and infrastructure, families also live close together.
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