PM Modi to unveil Smart City, AMRUT projects on June 25

Prime MinisterNarendraModi will formally launch the Rs 98,000 croreSmart City and AMRUT projects on June 25, in an attempt at tranforming the urban infrastructure burdened with ever-growing population.Modi will announce the implementation guidelines for the two big-ticket urban renewal projects – Smart City and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) – at VigyanBhawan in the presence of senior officials from state governments and Union Territories dealing with urban affairs including municipal commissioners and mayors.

The Union Cabinet had some time ago cleared the projects — 100 Smart Cities and a new urban renewal mission for 500 cities named after former PM AtalBihari Vajpayee, replacing the one christened after Jawaharlal Nehru, with a total outlay of Rs 98,000 crore for the next five years.

The projects envisage recasting the urban landscape to make them more livable. Countries such as Singapore, Japan, France and the United States have shown interest in partnering with India on Smart City project.

Implementation will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, setting up of professional municipal cadre, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies and citizen-centric urban planning.