NEW DELHI, August 4: Government has released about Rs 120 cr to states and Union Territories for preparation of Service Level Improvement Plans for the 482 cities identified under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
In the first release of funds, each Mission city has been given an advance assistance of Rs 25 lakhs for preparation of the action plan.
Under AMRUT, the primary purpose is to cover all urban households with water supply and sewerage including septage before taking up other projects related to storm-water drains, urban transport and provision of public and green spaces.
Service Level Improvement Plans (SLIP) for each selected city/town should identify the gaps in provision of water supply and sewerage connections and draw up detailed plans for bridging the gaps, said a release.
SLIP should also include strategies for resource mobilisation including for operation and maintenance costs and plan for implementation of reforms.
All the city-level SLIP will be aggregated into State Annual Action Plan at the level of each state, which will be sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for approval.
The ministry would not assess and approve individual projects unlike under the JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission).
Urban Development Secretary Madhusudan Prasad has written to all the chief secretaries urging them to send State Annual Action Plans at the earliest.
Ministry has so far identified 482 cities and towns each with a population of above one lakh under AMRUT which was launched on June 25, 2015.
These include Uttar Pradesh (60 cities), West Bengal (59), Maharashtra (43), 32 from Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 31 each from Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan (28), Karnataka (27), Bihar (26), Haryana (20), Punjab (16), Telangana (11), nine each from Chattisgarh and Odisha, seven each from Kerala and Jharkhand, Uttarakhand (6), four each from Assam and Delhi.
Jammu and Kashmir (3), two each from Nagaland and Puducherry, one each from Andaman Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshdweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.
The remaining 18 cities will be chosen from the cities/towns on the stems of main rivers, from hill states and tourist destinations.
Under AMRUT, central assistance will be one-third of the project cost for cities with a population of above 10 lakhs and 50 percent of project cost for cities/towns with a population of below 10 lakhs for projects related to water supply, sewerage, septage, storm water drains and urban transport.
Balance funding is to be arranged by state governments and urban local bodies including through public-private partnerships (PPP).
After the approval of State Annual Action Plans (SAAP), first installment of over Rs 2,000 cr will be received for implementation of city-level SLIPs.
Allocation of funds under AMRUT for states and UTs is based on an objective criteria giving equal weightage to the urban population and number of statutory cities and towns in each State/UT.
