Govt expects to spend Rs 2.99L cr under AMRUT-2: Puri

The centrally-sponsored AMRUT-2 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) will have an investment of Rs 2.99 lakh crore over five years from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri announced.

He said that the scheme aims to provide 100 per cent coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies by providing about 2.68 crore tap connections and 100 per cent coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities by providing around 2.64 crore sewer/septage connections.

Under AMRUT- 2, cities will submit City Water Balance Plans (CWBPs) online on a robust Mission portal of MoHUA. CWBPs will give the status of water availability, water demand and supply in the city culminating in gaps in services. With a target of filling these gaps, projects will be formulated in form of an Action Plan. These plans will be aggregated at the state level in form of State Water Action Plan (SWAP), he said.

The mission mandates the implementation of 10 per cent worth of funds allocated to million-plus cities in PPP mode. Taking up projects on 24x7 water supply in 500 AMRUT cities which have population above one lakh is encouraged.

It also has a reform agenda targeted towards strengthening municipal governance and water security of cities. Major reforms include reducing non-revenue water to below 20 per cent, recycling treated used water to meet at least 20 per cent of total city water demand and 40 per cent for industrial water demand at state level, 24x7 water supply with ‘Drink from tap’ facility, rejuvenation of water bodies, GIS-based master plans of the cities and efficient town planning, credit rating of cities and raising funds through the issuance of municipal bonds, the guidelines said.

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