Delhi tops the list of under-users of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission fund

NEW DELHI: Delhi topped the list of under- users having failed to avail central assistance of Rs 1,130 crores as against the committed assistance of Rs 2,327 crores under JNNURM scheme for improvement of infrastructure and other projects, the Lok Sabha was told.

There were 65 big cities identified for implementation of JNNURM schemes to create urban infrastructure.

States and Union Territories failed to make use of the committed central assistance of Rs 12,397 crores under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Urban Development and Housing Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in a written reply.

The central government committed itself to provide a total assistance of Rs 46,787 crore to states/UTs for taking up urban infrastructure/development projects under JNNURM,

He said release of central assistance was linked to implementation of reforms and states/UTs could avail only 73.50 per cent of central assistance forfeiting Rs 12,397 crores.

This amounted to only 49 per cent utilization of the committed central assistance. Other under-performers included Goa with only 25 per cent utilization of central assistance, Bihar (39 per cent), Kerala (39 per cent), Mizoram (44 per cent), Punjab (45 per cent), Jharkhand (48 per cent) and Meghalaya (50 per cent).

Naidu said 668 small and medium towns reported better utilization of JNNURM funds with an overall utilization of 76 per cent of central assistance.