Urban Sector Investments Soar 16-Fold Since 2014, Driving India's Vision for 'Vikshit Bharat' By 2047
Rs 28,52,527 crore since 2014.
“This increase underscores the government’s commitment to achieving the goal of Vikshit Bharat by 2047,” said Manohar Lal in New Delhi.
The minister emphasised that the accelerating rate of urbanisation has made urban development a cornerstone of India’s growth strategy. “Over the past six months, urban development schemes have been expanded and implemented with greater speed and efficiency,” he said.
Manohar said that under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2.0), the government is prioritising stormwater drainage systems to address waterlogging challenges, alongside continuing efforts to enhance drinking water availability and sewerage systems.
In the last three months, 1,273 projects worth Rs 22,268 crore have been awarded whereas 798 projects worth Rs 6,875 crore sanctioned and 481 projects worth Rs 3,877 crore have been completed.
During the same period, 752 MLD capacity Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and 549 MLD capacity Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) have been set up. In all, 1.16 lakh tap connections and 2.40 lakh sewer connections have been completed in the last six months.
Similarly, Rs 300 crore worth of municipal bonds were issued by Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra and Rajkot in Gujarat and 359 water bodies rejuvenated and parks developed. Rs 3,941 crore Central assistance was released whereas Rs 1,109 crore was expended on projects.
In the last 10 years, 14,993 projects costing Rs 2,72,833 crore have been sanctioned under AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0. The overall works worth around Rs 96,970 crore have been completed.
The minister has targeted 4.08 crore new and serviced tap connections; 1.25 lakh km water network and 10,679 MLD water treatment capacity in the next five years.
Similarly, 1.51 crore new and serviced sewer connections; 35,866 km of sewer network and 6,784 MLD sewage treatment capacity have also been planned for the next five years.
Talking about the achievements in urban mobility, Manohar said that till May 2014, an average of 0.68 km of metro rail lines was operationalised per month in the country, which has now increased to around six km per month.
“Till May 2014, about 248 km of metro rail lines were operational in the country. This has increased by 745 km till date and at present about 993 km of metro rail lines are operational,” he said.
Referring to the PM-eBus scheme, Manohar said that 1,021 electric buses were approved for 18 cities from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh taking the total number of approved buses to 6,518 across 13 states and four UTs in this scheme from June onwards.
The PM-eBus Sewa launched on August 16, 2023, aims to augment urban bus operations in urban areas with central assistance of Rs 20,000 crore for deploying 10,000 fully air-conditioned electric buses under the GCC model. Cities with a population between 3 and 40 lakhs and other capitals with less than three lakh population as per the 2011 Census are eligible.
Rs 437.50 crore has been released to eight states for the development of associated infrastructure. Under the scheme, Rs 200.18 crore to Maharashtra; Rs 44.46 crore to Rajasthan; Rs 30.19 crore to Chhattisgarh; Rs 11.87 crore to Chandigarh; 6.47 crore to Assam; Rs 47.72 crore to Odisha; Rs 9.06 crore to Gujarat; Rs 87.55 crore to Bihar and Letter of Award for 1250 buses from 19 cities of Maharashtra issued to the operator against the bid received in the first PM-eBus tender.
Referring to the urban housing component of his ministry, Manohar said that in the last 8-9 years, aligning with the goal of ‘Housing for All’, more than 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned in 4,618 ULBs for construction under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), out of which more than 88 lakh houses have been completed and delivered to the beneficiaries.
He said that following the approval of the Union Cabinet for PMAY-U 2.0, financial assistance will be provided to one crore urban poor and middle-class families to construct, purchase or rent a house at an affordable cost in urban areas.
The government assistance of Rs 2.30 lakh crore will be provided under the scheme with an investment of Rs 10 lakh crore, he said.
“The scheme will also ensure equity across different segments of the population by addressing the requirement of slum dwellers, SC/STs, minorities, widows, persons with disabilities and other underprivileged sections of society.
Special focus will be given to Safai Karmacharis and street vendors identified under the PMSVANidhi scheme and artisans under the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Scheme, Anganwadi workers, building and other construction workers, residents of slums/chawls and other groups identified during operation of PMAY-U 2.0,” he said.
He said that under the Swachh Bharat Mission scheme, since June 9, 2024, the government has released more than Rs 1,123 crore. “Over the past six months since June 9, two major dumpsites in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have been completely remediated, successfully addressing approximately 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste,” he said.
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