Since 2014, Over Rs 18 lakh Cr Invested In Urban Transformation: Puri

Since 2014, over Rs 18 lakh crore have been invested in urban transformation, said Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Treating cities as an opportunity rather than a challenge, Puri said that the Prime Minister has brought about a revolution in India’s urban development paradigm.

The minister said that under PMAY (Urban), almost 1.19 crore houses have been sanctioned. More than 1.13 crore houses have already been grounded and 77 lakh delivered, he said.

Speaking about the Swachh Bharat Mission– Urban, the minister said that the mission has brought about a pan-India behavioural shift towards Swachhata. Solid waste processing has gone up from 17% in 2014 to 76 per cent today. 

He expressed confidence in achieving 100 per cent waste processing in the coming years.

The minister said that AMRUT has addressed basic social infrastructure such as water and sewerage in 500 cities by providing more than 1.72 crore water tap connections and 1.35 crore sewer connections. Now, AMRUT 2.0 is aiming further ahead by aspiring to make our cities ‘Water Secure’, he said.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, he said that 6,069 projects worth over Rs. 1.1 lakh crores have been completed.

The Minister highlighted that at present we have the fifth-largest metro network in the world with around 871 km of metro lines laid and after the construction of 905 km of metro network, India will become the second-largest metro network in the world.

“More than 34.2 lakh livelihoods have been created under the DAY-NULM mission. The mission imparted skill training to 14.9 lakh candidates”, he added further.

Referring to the urban areas as spaces of aspiration and opportunity, the minister said that the cities are the hubs of economic growth and innovation. Much of India’s economic progress lies in the productivity of its cities.  

"In harnessing the potential for high growth that exists in our cities, he said that we need to focus on the ULBs which are the primary interface of governance for our citizens. ULBs provide the political avenue for citizens to raise their issues," he observed.