Treat cities as an opportunity rather than a challenge, says Puri
The 15th Finance Commission has distinguished between million-plus urban agglomerations and other cities, and has provided for 100% outcome-based funding of approximately Rs.38,196 crores to 50 urban agglomerations with incentives for air quality, water supply and sanitation.
This update was given by Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on 17 Oct 2023 as he released the sixth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems, i.e., ASICS 2023 report at an event co-hosted by Janaagraha and Rainmatter Foundation in New Delhi.
Adding further, he said that the AMRUT programme has instituted 11 mandatory reforms in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including improving creditworthiness of cities, operationalising municipal bonds and the professionalisation of the municipal cadre.
Twelve cities have already raised more than Rs.4,384 crores through municipal bonds, he informed.
Puri elaborated that the government has disbursed unprecedented funds to undertake urban planning reforms such as modernisation of building bye laws; transit-oriented development; adoption of Transferable Development Rights; integration of blue and green infrastructure through nature-based solutions; affordable Housing through in-situ rehabilitation; GIS-based master planning; and Online Building Permission Systems (OBPS).
“Treat our cities as an opportunity rather than a challenge,” added Puri, pointing out that more than Rs.18 lakh crores have been invested in the transformation of cities and towns in the country since 2014.
The Government, he said, has undertaken in the past nine years the most comprehensive and planned urbanisation programme anywhere in the world.
These are initiatives and missions such as PMAY (Urban), Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission, PM SVANidhi mission and DAY-NULM, that have turned out to be transformational in growth and development of the urban spaces.
The AMRUT has addressed basic social infrastructure such as water and sewerage in 500 cities by providing more than 1.72 crore water tap connections and 1.35 crore sewer connections.
Now, AMRUT 2.0 is aiming further ahead by aspiring to make our cities ‘Water Secure’, he said.
The Minister informed that 6,069 projects worth over Rs.1.1 lakh crores have been completed under the Smart Cities Mission. Fiinews.com
