Parliament Question: Urban development and housing initiatives in Himachal Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4098 ANSWERED ON 30/03/2026 URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING INITIATIVES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH 4098. DR. SIKANDER KUMAR: Will the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs be pleased to state: (a) the total funds allocated to the State of Himachal Pradesh for urban infrastructure in current budget including specific central share under PMAY-U 2.0 for hilly terrains; (b) the current status and central assistance provided for Jathia Devi township project near Shimla and proposed commercial developments in Kangra and Bilaspur; (c) whether Government has approved any new City Economic Regions in the State of Himachal Pradesh under five-year development plan announced in current budget; and (d) the steps being taken to strengthen the sustainable urban development and disaster-resilient drainage systems in rapidly urbanising areas of the State? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (d): 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), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0), Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0 (SBM – U 2.0), 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: This Mission was launched on 25 June 2015 in selected 500 cities (485 cities including 15 merged cities) and towns across the country. The Mission focuses on development of basic infrastructure, in the selected cities and towns, in the sectors of water supply; sewerage and septage management; storm water drainage; green spaces and parks; and non-motorized urban transport. AMRUT 2.0 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. Under the Mission, States/ UTs are empowered to select appraise, prioritize and implement projects. …2/--2- Under AMRUT, Himachal Pradesh has completed 75 projects worth ₹304.51 crore in Kullu and Shimla City which include 25 water supply projects worth ₹83.3 crore, 14 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹99.71 crore, 10 drainage projects worth ₹31.91 crore, 17 non- motorised urban transport projects worth ₹81.99 crore and 09 green spaces & park projects worth ₹7.6 crore. In Shima city, 47 projects worth ₹238.43 crore were taken up, which include 15 water supply projects worth ₹76.06 crore, 09 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹81.09 crore, 07 drainage projects worth ₹20.64 crore, 09 non-motorised urban transport projects worth ₹54.99 crore and 07 green spaces & park projects worth ₹5.65 crore. Under AMRUT 2.0, the State Water Action Plans (SWAPs) of Himachal Pradesh comprising of 47 projects worth ₹321.66 crore have been approved in Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmour, Solan and Una districts. Approved projects include 17 water supply projects worth ₹298.87 crore, 02 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹11.6 crore, 17 waterbody rejuvenation projects worth ₹8.40 crore and 11 green spaces & park projects worth ₹2.80 crore. In Shimla district 04 projects worth ₹62.46 crore have been approved, which include 03 water supply projects worth ₹61.66 crore and 01 water body rejuvenation project worth ₹0.8 crore. In Kangra district 06 projects worth ₹73.78 crore have been approved, which include 03 water supply projects worth ₹70.28 crore and 03 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹3.5 crore. In Bilaspur district 02 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹0.30 crore have been approved. Under AMRUT/AMRUT 2.0, total outlay for the projects has been allocated among the States/UTs at the beginning of the Mission period. Funds under AMRUT/ AMRUT 2.0 are released/ mother sanction issued to State/UTs and not ULBs/project wise. Under AMRUT, total central funds of ₹269.06 crore have been released for projects. Under AMRUT 2.0, against the committed Central Assistance of ₹256 crore for projects, ₹152.67 crore has been released/ mother sanction issued so far. SBM-U 2.0: Funds under SBM-U 2.0 are allocated for the entire mission period and not on yearly basis. Under SBM-U 2.0 (2021-2026), Govt. of India has allocated ₹156.70 crores to the State of Himachal Pradesh. 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. Details of investment in projects for construction of houses including involved central assistance and its current status in Jathia Devi Township, Kangra and Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh under PMAY-U 2.0 are as under: …3/--3- Current Status of Central Approved Assistance (₹ in Crore) Name of City/ Central Released State/ UT Assistance No of Houses Released during current (₹ in Sanctioned so far FY 2025- Crore) 26 Jathia Devi Nil Nil Nil Nil Township Kangra 0.32 14 0.13 0.13 Bilaspur 0.36 16 0.14 0.14 Other towns of Himachal 30.03 1,357 12.07 12.07 Pradesh Himachal Pradesh 30.71 1,387 12.34 12.34 Total *****