Centre to allocate Rs 1L cr to revamp cities, says Manohar Lal Khattar
The minister also underlined the need for making urban local bodies self-reliant. He said that while these bodies receive a fixed amount of funding from the central and state govts, achieving true self-reliance must go hand-in-hand with "ensuring transparency and accountability in their functioning".
Khattar, who was addressing the concluding session of the two-day National ULB Conference in Manesar, said the best practices from leading cities around the world are being adopted to improve urban living conditions.
Citing data, he said the urbanisation in India that was at 20% in 1970 has risen to 36% today and is projected to reach 50% by 2047. "A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed with Spain to facilitate the exchange of successful urban development models between the two countries," the Union minister said.
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Khattar said over the years villages grew into towns and cities, "but they still have narrow roads" and the sewerage and drainage system is either missing or is insufficient.
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Hence, "the funds will be utilised with the help of the state govt to redevelop these urban centres."
The minister said urbanisation in India is accelerating rapidly. In response, both govts and municipal bodies must increase their pace of action. He stressed the need for proper workforce training and the efficient use of time and resources to meet future challenges.
The Union minister said urban development must go hand in hand with environmental protection.
"While pursuing progressive initiatives, it is essential to keep environmental sustainability at the forefront," said Khattar. The minister stressed the need to improve traffic systems and simultaneously plan for e-mobility solutions. He said while metro rail services began in India in 2002 — much later than in the US where metros have existed for over 150 years — India has made remarkable progress. Today, metro networks span 1,000 kilometres across 21 cities, which is comparable to the extent of metro systems in the US.
He said there are plans to expand this network.
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