The Centre has released a part of the first instalment of funds under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transmission (AMRUT) as per the State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) for the year 2015-16.

The central assistance (CA) of Rs 118.46 crore released is just 20 per cent of the first instalment of the approved CA of Rs 592.28 crore for projects relating to water supply, sewerage, stormwater drainage, urban transport, parks and green spaces, said a notification issued by the Union Urban Development Ministry.

The total approved size of the SAAP for Karnataka is Rs 1,258.54 crore for the fiscal 2015-16. Karnataka Urban Development Minister Vinaykumar Sorake said that the funds released are for one quarter.

Under the AMRUT, the State is getting Rs 5,400 crore over the next five years from 2015-2020. The State government has to match 53 per cent while the Centre will give 47 per cent. Sorake said that earlier the State was getting 80 per cent funding from the Central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The primary purpose of funds under AMRUT is to cover all urban households with water supply and sewerage including septage before taking up other projects related to stormwater drains, urban transport and provision of public and green spaces.

Of the total Rs 5,400 crore funds for the State, Bengaluru is set to get a lion’s share of around Rs 1,010 crore of which Rs 227.58 crore is for works related to underground drains. Besides Bengaluru, funds will be distributed to 27 urban local bodies across the State including Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Vijayapura, Ballari, Kalaburagi, among others.

In August 2015, the Ministry of Urban Development has released about Rs 20 crore to all states and Union Territories for the preparation of Service Level Improvement Plans (SLIP) for each of the 482 cities identified under AMRUT across the country.