Worried over progress of PM Modi's pet projects Swachh Bharat, Smart City, babus asked to travel to states

NEW DELHI: Spear-heading Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious projects including Swachh Bharat Mission and Smart City plan, Urban Development ministry officials would travel to states for better implementation of these flagship programmes.

Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu has directed senior ministry officials to visit states and assist urban local bodies in effective implementation, especially of new urban missions launched in 2015. The urban development ministry and housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry under Naidu are implementing key NDA initiatives, viz. Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat Mission, Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(Urban).

Naidu conducted a review of all the pet projects on Wednesday and asked the senior officials to be thoroughly conversant with the details of Prime Minister's pet projects so there can be better implementation at the state level. The government has been worried about the implementation of schemes including Swachch Bharat Mission and HRIDAY. While the cleanliness initiative has caught the imagination in the urban centres, its effective implementation is possible only with the cooperation of states. Under Swachch Bharat Mission, the government's target is to construct 25 lakh household toilets. The construction has started on 20 lakh toilets and 8.30 lakh toilets have already been constructed. Naidu would soon write to chief ministers to monitor the progress of the scheme at the highest level.

Setting up of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) under Smart City Mission was also discussed in the meeting. It was clarified that SPVs to be set up are meant for focused and timely implementation of Smart City Plans and would in no way encroach on the powers and authority of urban local bodies.