The government today underlined the need for the empowerment of local bodies in the cities across the country to deal with the challenges being faced by the urban poor. Replying to the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, the Minister, Kumari Shelja said that the government has initiated several programmes to provide basic amenities and infrastructure to them. She said, under the flagship programme of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, JNURM, 65 cities have been identified for providing civic and basic amenities to the vulnerable segments living in the cities. Kumari Shelja said, Rajiv Gandhi Avas Yojana has also been launched with an objective to provide low cost housing to the urban poor to make the cities slum-free. <br/>