PM Modi says incentive of Rs 15k cr has been allocated for urban planning in Budget

PM Modi said, "I believe this will mark a new beginning of planned and systematic urbanization in the country and it will gain momentum."

During the post-Budget webinar on 'Urban Development with Focus on Planning', PM Modi said, "Now in the 21st century, the way India is developing at a rapid pace, several new cities are going to be essential for India in the future."

In such a scenario, there are two main aspects of urban development in India, the Prime Minister said. "Development of new cities and modernisation of old systems in old cities. Keeping this vision in the forefront, our government has given immense importance to urban development in every Budget," Modi said.

Modi said this allocation of Rs 15,000 crore would mark a new beginning of planned and systematic urbanisation in the country and it will gain momentum.

PM Modi said, "Poor planning of cities or lack of proper implementation after planning can create major challenges in front of our development journey."

"Be it the special planning that comes under urban planning, be it transport planning, be it urban infrastructure planning, or water management, it is necessary to work in a very focused way in all these areas," he said.

PM Modi said, "You must focus on three questions in different sessions of this webinar."

"Firstly - how to strengthen the urban planning ecosystem in the states. Second - how to properly use the expertise available in the private sector in urban planning," Modi said during the webinar. "Third - how to develop such Centres of Excellence which will take urban planning to a new level."

All the state governments and urban local bodies must always remember one thing, PM Modi said. "They will be able to contribute to the development of the country only when they develop planned urban areas."

The PM also urged the participants in the webinar to think of more and more innovative ideas.

On transport planning, PM Modi said, "The mobility of our cities should be uninterrupted. You know very well the condition of metro connectivity in the country before 2014. Our government has worked on metro rail connectivity in many cities."

He added, "Today we have gone ahead of several countries in terms of metro network." PM Modi also stressed that, "Now, there is a need to strengthen this network and provide fast-and-last mile connectivity. And for this, efficient transport planning is necessary."

India is making the circular economy a major tool for urban development, the Prime Minister said.

"Every day thousands of tonnes of municipal waste is generated in our country which included battery waste, electrical waste, automobile waste and tires as well as things that can be used for making compost," PM Modi said, adding, "In 2014, only 14-15 per cent waste processing was done in the country, but today 75 per cent waste is being processed. If this was done earlier, the outskirts of our cities would not have been filled with heaps and heaps of garbage."

After the success of the AMRUT scheme, PM Modi said, "We launched 'AMRUT-2.0' for clean drinking water in cities. With this plan, now we need to plan beyond the traditional model of water and sewage. Today in some cities the used water is being treated and supplied for industrial use."

PM Modi said, "Today the role of futuristic technology has increased a lot in the field of urban development." He said startups and industries need to think in this direction and act fast. "We must take advantage of the possibilities that exist, and also create new possibilities. From sustainable house technology to sustainable cities, we have to find new solutions," he added.

There are six post-Budget webinars which are yet to be addressed by Prime Minister Modi.

March 3 webinar will be focused on 'Developing tourism in mission mode'; March 4 webinar is themed 'Infrastructure and investment: Improving logistic efficiency with PM Gatishakti National Master Plan' and March 6 webinar is titled 'Health and Medical Research'.

March 7 webinar will be on 'Financial Sector', March 10 webinar will be on 'Women empowerment' and March 11 will highlight 'PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman'.

The five webinars, 'Urban Development with Focus on Planning', 'Agriculture and cooperatives'; 'Harnessing Youth Power -- Skilling and Education'; 'Reaching the Last Mile/Leaving No Citizen Behind' and 'Unleashing the Potential: Ease of Living Using Technology' have been completed so far. (ANI)