The Ministry of Urban Development has released about Rs 120 crore to States and Union Territories for preparation of Service Level Improvement Plans (SLIP) for each of the 482 cities identified under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
“In the first release of funds, each mission city has been given an advance assistance of Rs 25 lakhs for preparation of SLIP,” the Ministry said.
Under AMRUT, the primary purpose is to cover all urban households with water supply and sewerage including septage before taking up other projects related to storm water drains, urban transport and provision of public and green spaces. SLIP for each selected city/town should identify the gaps in provision of water supply and sewerage connections and draw up detailed plans for bridging the gaps.
“SLIP should also include strategies for resource mobilisation including for Operation & Maintenance costs and plan for implementation of reforms. All the city level Service Level Improvement Plans will be aggregated into State Annual Action Plan at the level of each State which will be sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for approval,” the Ministry said.
UD Ministry would not assess and approve individual projects unlike under JNNURM.
Madhusudan Prasad, Secretary (UD) wrote to all the Chief Secretaries urging them to send State Annual Action Plans at the earliest.
The Ministry has so far identified 482 cities and towns each with a population of above one lakh under AMRUT which was launched on June 25, 2015. These include : UP (60 cities), West Bengal (59), Maharashtra (43), 32 from MP and Tamil Nadu, 31 each from Gujarat and AP, Rajasthan (28), Karnataka (27), Bihar (26), Haryana (20), Punjab (16), Telangana (11), 9 each from Chattisgarh and Odisha, 7 each from kerala and Jharkhand, Uttarakhand (6), 4 each from Assam and Delhi, J&k (3), 2 each from Nagaland and Puducherry, one each from A&N Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshdweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.
The remaining 18 cities will be chosen from the cities/towns on the stems of main rivers, from hill states and tourist destinations.
Under AMRUT, central assistance will be one-third of the project cost for cities with a population of above 10 lakhs and 50% of project cost for cities/towns with a population of below 10 lakhs for projects related to water supply, sewerage, septage, storm water drains and urban transport. Balance funding is to be arranged by State governments and urban local bodies including through PPP.
After the approval of State Annul Action Plans (SAAP), first installment of over Rs 2,000 crore will be received for implementation of city level SLIPs. Allocation of funds is based on an objective criteria giving equal weightage to the urban population and number of statutory cities and towns in each State/UT.
