PM reviews progress work of Atal mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reviewed the progress in implementation of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) projects in which projects worth Rs 65,075 crore are at different stages in 500 cities across the country. The review was made at his 26th interaction through PRAGATI — the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

AMRUT is one of the Modi Government’s flagship programmes launched with the aim of providing basic civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, urban transport, parks as to improve the quality of life for all especially the poor and the disadvantaged.  AMRUT is a centrally sponsored scheme with 80 percent budgetary support from the Centre. Formula for Allocation of AMRUT cities among States was based on total population and number of statutory urban towns (50:50).

According to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under AMRUT, out of State Annual Action Plan(SAAP) size of Rs 77,640 crores, projects worth Rs 65,075 crores (84 percent) are under various stages of implementation including projects tendered and where detailed project reports have been approved. 

“More than 22 crores urban population will benefit from this mission. Total of Rs 11,945 crores has been released so far. Close to 400 projects worth Rs 325 crores have already been completed and for 2,188 projects worth Rs 40,074 crores, contracts have been awarded and are at various stages of implementation,” the Ministry said.

Further, 895 projects costing Rs 13,586 crores are under tendering and for 729 projects costing Rs 10,824 crores DPRs have been approved. Further, 8.58 lakhwater tap connections have been provided so far under the Mission and by convergence of other schemes.  

Officials said that the deadline of the AMRUT mission is June 2020. It is hopeful that nearly 1.4 crore water taps will be provided across the country. “As many as 37 lakh street lights have been replaced with energy efficient LED lights. Around 322 green spaces and parks projects have been completed under the Mission. A Single window clearance system has been implemented in Delhi and Mumbai for construction permits, where only 8 procedures and less than 60 days are required for all approvals. Online Building Permission Systems(OBPS) is operational in 370Mission cities and is under various stages of implementation in remaining cities,” it said. According to officials, 25 PRAGATI meetings so far have seen a cumulative review of 227 projects with a total investment of over Rs 10 lakh crore.

Resolution of Public Grievances has also been reviewed across a range of sectors. In the meeting, the Prime Minister reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to post offices, and railways. He stressed on the importance of increasing digital transactions across the postal and rail networks, especially using the BHIM App.

Modi reviewed the progress of nine infrastructure projects in the railway, road, petroleum, and power sectors. These projects are spread over several States including Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

These projects include the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, and the Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna.