Published on: Jun 27, 2015 @ 21:29
The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi launched the three major Missions for the development of urban India including Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart Cities Mission, and Housing for All (Urban) at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister said that urbanization should be seen as an opportunity and urban centers should be viewed as growth engines. 500 cities will be developed under AMRUT scheme, 100 Smart Cities over five years and Housing for All targets construction of 2 crore houses in urban areas by the year 2022. The central government has committed itself to spend about Rs 4 lakh crore on these three missions over the next five to six years.
Mr. Modi said, “For the first time in India, a challenge was being floated, in which the people and the urban leadership would contribute in the formulation of development visions of the cities.” The Prime Minister said that the competitive mechanism would end the top-down approach, and lead to people-centric urban development.
Mr. Modi gave a simple vision of a Smart City, as one which was a step or two ahead of people’s aspirations. Besides, technology, transportation, energy efficiency, walk-to-work, cycling etc also play key role as mentioned by the Prime Minister.
Smart Cities Mission aims to develop 100 smart cities across the country. Those cities which were able to competitively meet the required parameters would be developed as Smart Cities. The objective is to enable better living and driving economic growth for the benefit of all sections of the society. This will be implemented through redevelopment of infrastructure in already built up areas and adopting e-governance and appropriate smart solutions.
Under Prime Minister Awas Yojana, it is proposed to build 2 crore houses for urban poor including Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG) in urban areas by the year 2022. He said the government is sensitive to consumer protection, and towards ending undue harassment, especially with regard to housing, one Bill towards this end has already been introduced in Parliament.
The Prime Minister said there should be collective responsibility for better quality of life for 40 per cent of India’s population that either lived in cities, or were dependent on cities for their livelihood. He said the aspirations of migrants from rural areas, and slum dwellers, have to be balanced with the changing global environment and further said, ensuring a good life for them is our responsibility.
Under AMRUT, focus will be on providing basic infrastructure like providing tap water and sewer connections to every household, solid water management, provision of roads and public transport. The Prime Minister said that through AMRUT, the aim of the government is to ensure citizen participation and give cities themselves the chance to plan their future growth. 500 cities with a population of above one lakh each would be included in AMRUT.
The launch of three missions heralding a new era in urban India and reflects the integrated approach of the government to urban development and urban transformation.
Ajay Verma, founder and writer of TheHousingWorld, a real estate and mortgage news website. He has over fifteen years of rich experience in the above mentioned industries.
