Centre reviews progress of flagship programmes in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

The Centre has reviewed the progress of its flagship programmes, including PMAY (U), AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities Mission and PM SVANidhi scheme, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, an official said on Friday.

The official said that Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra held a meeting with top officers of these two states on Thursday and reviewed the progress of flagship programmes which also included the implementation of RERA and Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi.

According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Andhra Pradesh has so far provided 3.33 lakh water tap connections under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

"To enhance substantial sewerage network coverage, 1.3 lakh new household sewer connections are proposed to be provided by the end of the mission period. So far, 65,000 sewer connections have been provided by the state," the official said.

In the meeting, the secretary was informed that Andhra Pradesh has tied up with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) for replacement of conventional streetlights with LED lights in 32 cities. All identified 6,30,000 streetlights have been replaced in the state.

The official said that under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), the state has taken approval for 20.15 lakh houses, adding that all urban local bodies have been certified Open defecation free.

About Telangana, the official said that under the AMRUT Mission, out of 9.01 lakhs new household water tap connections proposed to be provided through AMRUT and convergence, 2.76 lakh connections have already been provided by the state.

The state has tied up with EESL for an energy audit of water pumps and completed the audit in 11 Mission cities.

"Out of identified 6.23 lakh streetlights in 12 cities, 6.65 lakh street lights have been replaced with energy-efficient LED lights," the official also said.