DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, Sh. Manohar Lal today reviewed various central projects being implemented in the Haryana state and issued necessary directives to the concerned officials to ensure their timely execution.

Manohar Lal, currently visiting Haryana, held a meeting with state government officials here today. The meeting was also attended by Haryana Energy and Transport Minister, Sh Anil Vij, and Urban Local Bodies Minister, Sh. Vipul Goel.

Key topics discussed in the meeting included urban development initiatives such as the PM e-Bus Sewa, Urban Transport, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the Smart City initiative, the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihood Mission, PM Swanidhi, and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban.

While emphasizing the importance of timely implementation of centrally sponsored projects, Sh. Manohar Lal said that it the responsibility of the states to submit utilization certificates promptly to facilitate timely release of further funds from the Central Government.

Regarding the PM e-Bus Seva Project, launched by Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi on August 16, 2023, Sh Manohar Lal highlighted its goal of reducing pollution and to augment urban bus operation. The initiative plans to operate 10,000 air-conditioned electric buses nationwide, with a funding support

of Rs 20,000 crore from the Central Government.

In Haryana, 450 buses have been approved for seven cities: Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Rohtak, Panipat, Karnal, and Yamunanagar. The number of buses will be increased on a cluster basis to accommodate growing populations, he added.

During the review of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, it was informed that 57 projects worth Rs 1,727.36 crore have been approved under AMRUT 2.0, with 48 projects focused on water supply and nine on sewerage management.

It is noteworthy that Union Minister Sh Manohar Lal is currently touring states across the country to review central projects. Yesterday, he visited Himachal Pradesh to review and assess the urban development and power sector situation there.
(editor@dailyworld.in)