Manohar Lal Khattar says sixteen-fold rise in urban sector investments since 2014

Manohar Lal Khattar. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday (December 10, 2024) said there has been a substantial increase in investments in the urban sector since 2014 and emphasised the Centre’s dedication to realising the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

Addressing a press conference on achievements of his Ministry, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister said investments have increased 16-fold, rising from approximately ₹1,78,053 crore between 2004 and 2014 to ₹28,52,527 crore since 2014.

“Urban development schemes have been expanded and implemented with greater speed and efficiency in the past six months, asserting that the rapid pace of urbanisation has made urban development a key pillar of India’s growth strategy,” he said.

The Minister said that under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) between 2004 and 2014, projects worth ₹66,837 crore were sanctioned, but the Modi government has sanctioned projects worth ₹2.73 lakh crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) since 2014.

Talking about urban housing and PMAY 2.0, Mr. Khattar said a new rental housing vertical has been introduced under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), benefiting the migrant population.

Under this scheme, new initiatives such as provisional sanctions for around 7% of the planned one crore urban houses based on the population of States signing MoUs, have been made and it will ensure timely allocation and expediting the process.

“To streamline operations, sanctions to States will be finalised based on the demand received by March 31, 2025, providing clarity on yearly house allocations,” he said, adding that 88.32 lakh houses have competed under the PMAY 2.0.

Mr. Khattar said a revamped National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) will soon be launched, informed by the results of a pilot project currently under way in 25 cities.

Giving details about the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), the Union Minister said loan amounts of 13,422 crore have been disbursed under the scheme so far. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, since June 9, 2024, the government has released more than ₹1,123 crore.

Over the past six months since June 9, two major dumpsites in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have been completely remediated, successfully addressing approximately 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, Mr. Khattar added.