NEW DELHI: Investments in the urban sector have risen 16 times—from Rs 1,78,053 crore in 2004-14 to Rs 28,52,527 crore since 2014—said Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power, Manohar Lal Khattar, on Tuesday.
At a press briefing in New Delhi, he said the government has pledged urban development as the bedrock of India’s growth strategy and its aspirational vision of achieving Vikshit Bharat by 2047.
The minister stated that accelerating the rate of urbanisation requires strong planning and execution and that the past six months have seen rapid implementation and expansion of key urban development schemes.
Important achievements have been made under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which include the creation of 4,649 MLD water treatment capacity and 4,429 MLD sewage treatment capacity.
AMRUT 2.0 is now working on developing stormwater drainage systems to deal with the challenges of waterlogging while continuing efforts to improve the supply of drinking water and sewerage infrastructure.
Khattar announced that a New Cities Scheme would be conceptualised to handle the pressures of rapid urbanisation after the Smart Cities Mission has been successful.
This will ensure sustainable urban growth and modern infrastructure. The government has, in addition to these steps, been working on improving urban mobility through the expansion of regional rapid transit systems and promoting e-mobility and walkable streets, which addresses environmental concerns and reduces pollution.
There would also be crucial updates on PMAY 2.0, mainly about the rental housing vertical benefitting migrants in which vacant government houses already constructed on funds would become an option of affordable rental with collaboration on the public-private partnership model as well as allocation of such constructed housing till March 31 of the year 2025 by taking into account time-space as demand factors.
A revamped National Urban Livelihoods Mission is also scheduled to be launched based on a pilot project that is currently under test in 25 cities.
Under the PM Svanidhi Scheme, loans of Rs 13,422 crore have been disbursed in support of street vendors and small business owners.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, over Rs 1,123 crore has already been released since June 2024, and two massive dumpsites in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have been fully remediated, addressing around 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste.