Parliament Question: Gaps in urban affairs and development for next-generation design principles

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3402 ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026 GAPS IN URBAN AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT FOR NEXT-GENERATION DESIGN PRINCIPLES 3402. SHRI I.S. INBADURAI: Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has undertaken any comprehensive study to identify structural and infrastructural gaps in urban planning, housing, transport, waste management and public utilities in major cities and emerging towns, if so, details thereof; (b) whether existing urban development schemes adequately incorporate next-generation design principles such as climate resilience, smart infrastructure, inclusive public spaces and sustainable mobility, if so, details thereof and assessment outcomes; and (c) whether Government proposes to strengthen coordination between urban local bodies, State Governments and central agencies to bridge gaps in planning, execution and maintenance of urban infrastructure, if so, details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (c): As per the provisions of Article 243W of the Constitution, in conjunction with the Seventh and Twelfth Schedules, matters relating to urban development fall within the purview of States/Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). However, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) provides programmatic support to the States/Union Territories (UTs) in their urban development agenda through its various flagship Missions/Programmes viz. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT 2.0), Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0 (SBM – U 2.0), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0), Urban Transport (UT) etc. Through these Missions/Schemes, the Central Government approves the State Plans and provides the Central Assistance to the States. The projects are selected, designed, approved and executed by the States/UTs and the cities. The State Governments release funds to the cities/districts. AMRUT 2.0: The Mission was launched in the year 2021 in all ULBs/cities, enabling the cities to become 'self-reliant' and 'water secure'. Providing universal coverage of sewerage and septage management in 500 AMRUT cities is one of the major focus areas of AMRUT 2.0. Water body rejuvenation and green spaces and parks are other components of the Mission. Under the Mission, States/UTs are empowered to select, appraise, prioritize and implement projects. Under AMRUT 2.0, cities have prepared City Water Balance Plans (CWBPs), which include as-is assessment of water supply systems which help cities/ ULBs to identify gaps. CWBP help cities to identify scope for projects focusing on the objectives of Mission. Based on the projects identified in CWBPs, City Water Action Plan (CWAP) are devised. These CWAPs are aggregated in the form of State Water Action Plans (SWAP). Further, the State High Powered Steering Committee (SHPSC) headed by the Chief Secretary of the State, consider and recommend/ approve the SWAPs under AMRUT 2.0. State Level Technical Committee (SLTC) headed by the Secretary, Urban Development & Housing Department provides technical support to the SHPSC in approving, monitoring and supervising the scheme at the State level. For digital monitoring, energy efficiency and emergency preparedness, the Mission promotes the adoption of smart elements/ Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) based operations. SCADA-based systems are promoted for real-time monitoring and control, improving fault detection, pressure management, and emergency response. Energy-efficient pumping and automation enhance system reliability. Under AMRUT, 258 water supply schemes have been implemented with SCADA. Under AMRUT 2.0, 1,422 water supply projects have provision for SCADA system. …2/--2- The Ministry has published Manual on Water Supply and Treatment Systems (Drink from Tap) in March 2024 (https://mohua.gov.in/publication/manual-on-water-supply-and-treatment-systems--- drink-from-tap---march-2024.php), for reference by the States/ ULBs for designing and implementation of the water supply projects. The manual has a Chapter on “Building Resilience for Climate Change and Disaster Management”, which provides for resilience measures to be adopted by Urban Water Service Providers. The resilience measures for adoption by the Urban Water Service Providers include intake from different sources of water (surface, groundwater, etc.), enhancing water storage capacity, treated wastewater reuse and functional flow meters alongside consumer end metering for all water supply sources, treatment plants, and water distribution stations. SBM-U: Sanitation is a State subject. It is the responsibility of State/ULBs to plan, identify structural and infrastructural gap, design and execute sanitation projects in the urban areas of the concerned States/UTs. MoHUA supplements the efforts of States/UTs by providing policy directions, financial and technical support. Under Solid Waste Management component of SBM-U 2.0 Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of fund are provided for setting up various type of municipal waste processing facilities such as Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), Waste to Compost (WtC) plants, Bio-methanation plants, Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) processing facilities, Waste to Electricity (WtE) plants, Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste plants etc. SBM-U leverages technology to enhance sanitation and waste management across urban India. The selection of treatment technologies is open to ULBs/State Governments, allowing them to choose any proven technology as outlined in the Central Public Health & Environmental Engineering Organization (CPHEEO) Manual and advisories issued from time to time. States opt for different types of waste processing facilities based on their resources, technology, topography, type of waste involved, climatic conditions. PMAY-U: Land' and 'Colonization' are State subjects. Therefore, schemes related to housing for their citizens are implemented by States/UTs. However, MoHUA supplements the efforts of States/UTs, by providing Central Assistance for pucca houses to eligible urban beneficiaries across the country under PMAY-U since 25.06.2015. Based on the learnings from the experiences of implementation of PMAY- U, MoHUA has revamped the scheme and launched PMAY-U 2.0 'Housing for All' Mission with effect from 01.09.2024 for implementation in urban areas across the country to construct, purchase and rent a house by eligible beneficiaries at affordable cost, for one crore additional eligible beneficiaries through four verticals i.e., Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS). PMAY-U 2.0 guidelines and Unified Web-portal for submitting the online applications can be accessed through https://pmay-urban.gov.in. The Technology Sub-Mission (TSM) under PMAY-U supports States/UTs in adopting modern, innovative, green and alternative construction technologies for faster and quality housing. Under TSM, Global Housing Technology Challenge - India (GHTC-India) was organized to identify and mainstream globally proven, sustainable, disaster-resilient and prefabricated construction technologies. A total of 54 proven technologies from across the world were shortlisted and grouped into six categories based on geo-climatic regions for adoption by States/UTs, which are available at www.ghtc-india.gov.in. These technologies were approved by the Technical Assessment Committee and are time-tested. As per the Scheme Guidelines, an additional grant in the form of Technology Innovation Grant (TIG) is also provided to AHP projects using innovative construction technologies notified by MoHUA. States/UTs are encouraged to adopt these innovative construction technologies identified by the Ministry as per their local context. Further, as per PMAY-U 2.0 Guidelines, there is provision to ensure quality of construction under BLC/AHP/ARH verticals of the Mission through Third Party Quality Monitoring Agencies (TPQMA) selected by States/UTs. TPQM Agencies are required to visit the project site and to advise State/UT and ULBs on quality related issues. …3/--3- Urban Transport: Urban Transport is a part of Urban planning which is a State subject. Therefore, respective State Governments are responsible for planning, execution and management of urban transport system including identifying structural gaps in transport planning, maintenance of urban infrastructure, etc. However, Government of India has issued National Urban Transport Policy, 2006, Metro Rail Policy 2017, Transit Oriented Development (ToD) policy 2017 and other policy guidelines for fare integration, planning of urban transport system. Under Metro Rail Policy, financial assistance for metro rail projects is being provided and about 1,145 kms of metro rail lines are operational in 26 different cities. Also, under PM-eBus Sewa Scheme launched on 16th August 2023, 10,000 air- conditioned e-buses have been sanctioned for 116 cities across 26 States/UTs along with central assistance for development of associated infrastructure and bus operations to augment, formalize and strengthen the public transport system. *****