4,000 towns to be brought under 'Urban Amenities in Rural Areas': Jairam Ramesh

VIJAYAWADA: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh today said that 4,000 towns from different parts of the country are to be brought under the ambitious 'PURA' (Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) project.

Addressing a meeting after inaugurating a 'PURA' project along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Ramesh said that small towns in the country are still treated as major panchayats and they need basic amenities like roads, drinking water, sewerage treatment, street lighting.

He said that the Union government has decided to take up PURA projects in small towns by joining hands with private partners.

He said that one such project was already taken up in Kerala and two more were being taken up at Ibrahimpatnam and Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh.

Of the 4,000 towns identified for the programme, about 400 are from Andhra Pradesh, he added.