J&K integral part of India’s rapid urban development, Says Union Minister Khattar At Joint Review Meet With CM Omar

Srinagar: Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir forms an integral part of India’s rapid urban development, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said that Centre and Jammu and Kashmir Government are working in close coordination to achieve inclusive development of the Union Territory.
Chairing a review meeting of urban development schemes and projects in Jammu and Kashmir today in presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, Khattar, according to a PIB statement issued here on Thursday said “People of Jammu & Kashmir are getting benefits of all urban schemes of the Central Government and that the Centre and the UT of J&K are working in close coordination, upholding the spirit of cooperative federalism, to fast-track schemes and projects for its overall inclusive development.”
He said, “Jammu and Kashmir forms an integral part of India and is rapidly developing with significant progress in urban development.”
The Minister laid down guidelines to ensure effective planning and efficient implementation of urban schemes under MoHUA to promote development and enhance ease of living for the people of J&K.
Reviewing each scheme in detail, the Minister emphasized the need to develop, improve infrastructure and promote sustainable urbanisation through strategic planning and Public-Private Partnerships, the statement said.
It said the review meeting focused on accelerating urban development, building and strengthening infrastructure, promoting inclusive growth of cities, and address other key issues in the Union Territory (UT). The meeting was attended by senior officials from Central and UT Governments.
Khattar, the statement said, reviewed the implementation and progress of key urban development initiatives and infrastructure projects of the urban schemes of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0), Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM-U & SBM-U 2.0), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U & PMAY-U 2.0), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) and PM-eBus Sewa.
Under AMRUT 2.0, it was advised to accelerate water infrastructure (new/service tap connections) and sewerage projects in all ULBs. Under SCM, it was stressed upon to complete the ongoing smart city projects, upgradation of the Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) for managing and monitoring various city operations, repurpose of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPVs), among others, the statement added.
Review of City Investments to Innovate, Integrate, and Sustain (CITIIS), a sub-component of the Smart Cities Mission, was also done. CITIIS 2.0 envisions a comprehensive and integrated approach to urban waste management. The Government of J&K was advised to set-up a State Climate Centre for Cities to ensure flow of funds for implementation of projects, the statement said.
Under SBM-U 2.0, it was informed that the UT allocation has increased by more than ₹200 crore in comparison to allocation under SBM-U 1.0. The UT of J&K was asked to expedite construction of toilets (community toilets, public toilets, aspirational toilets, urinals), Solid Waste Management, STP/co-treatment facilities and ensure garbage-free cities, it said.
With respect to PMAY-U 2.0, more than 19,000 applications have been submitted on unified web portal while in-principle approval for construction of 10,000 pucca houses has already been given by the Ministry, the statement said, adding, the UT administration was therefore, directed to fast-track and verify beneficiary applications so that maximum eligible families get benefits of affordable housing.
Under PMAY-U 1.0, it was asked to expedite construction of the houses which are in different stages of construction. For DAY-NULM, the J&K Government was asked to initiate survey for the identification of urban homeless and constitute a Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) under the Street Vendors Act at the earliest, the statement said.
Under PM-SVANidhi scheme, the administration was asked to expedite pending applications for sanctions or disbursements and profile the street vendors so that benefits reach the eligible beneficiaries at the earliest; and also encourage participation of women in the scheme, the statement said.
The implementation status of PM-eBus Sewa with respect to PFMS mapping, participation in the Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) of the scheme was also reviewed, it said.
The achievements of each scheme of MoHUA were also highlighted in detail during the meeting