New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The investments in the urban sector in India have increased 16-fold as the government aims to achieve the 'Viksit Bharat' goal by 2047, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said on Friday.

Under the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), work orders have been issued in 8,066 projects amounting to Rs 1,64,669 crore, of which 7,352 projects (91 per cent of total projects) amounting to Rs 1,47,366 crore have been completed, as per the data provided by 100 Smart Cities.

Under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission,’ in the past 6 months (since June 9, 2024), the government has released more than Rs 1,123 crore for projects in nine states - Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal for solid waste and used water management, information, education and communication (IEC) and capacity-building projects.

According to the ministry, key accomplishments under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) include the creation of a 4,649 megalitres per day (MLD) water treatment capacity and a 4,429 MLD sewage treatment capacity.

Under ‘AMRUT 2.0’, the government is prioritising stormwater drainage systems to address waterlogging challenges, alongside continuing efforts to enhance drinking water availability and sewerage systems, said the ministry.

A new rental housing vertical has been introduced under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) 2.0, benefiting the migrant population, working women, industrial workers, homeless, students and other beneficiaries.

"To streamline operations, sanctions to states will be finalised based on a demand survey received by March 31, 2025, providing clarity on yearly house allocations. In addition, in-principal approval has been given for more than 6 lakh houses under PMAY-U 2.0 which is a significant achievement in the implementation of the scheme," the ministry said.

According to the government, a revamped National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) will soon be launched, based on the results of a pilot project currently underway in 25 cities, including industrial hubs and migrant centres. The mission envisions covering nearly 2.5 crore urban poor households for socio-economic upliftment.

According to the government, over 1 crore urban poor women have been mobilised into more than 9.96 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) and their federations like Area Level Federation (ALF) and City Level Federation (CLF).

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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