Parliament Question: Urban infrastructure, housing and implementation of AMRUT 2.0 in Punjab

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1016 ANSWERED ON 09/02/2026 URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AMRUT 2.0 IN PUNJAB 1016. DR. VIKRAMJIT SINGH SAHNEY: Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether AMRUT 2.0 and Swachh Survekshan 2023-24 data reflect gaps in water supply, sewerage and waste management in several urban local bodies of the State of Punjab; (b) the status of projects approved for the State under AMRUT 2.0 and PMAY-Urban; (c) the progress achieved so far in housing and urban services in the State; (d) the steps taken to strengthen urban infrastructure in fast-growing towns of Punjab; and (e) whether additional the Central support is proposed for the State’s urban transformation? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (e): 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), Smart Cities Mission (SCM), 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: AMRUT 2.0 has been launched on 01 October 2021 in all ULBs/ cities including all ULBs in the State of Punjab, enabling the cities to become 'self-reliant' and 'water secure'. Providing universal coverage of sewerage & septage management in 500 AMRUT cities is one of the major focus areas of AMRUT 2.0. Rejuvenation of water bodies, development of green spaces and parks are other components of the Mission. Under AMRUT 2.0, States/UTs are empowered to select, appraise, prioritise and implement the projects within the broad framework of Mission guidelines. As per City Water Balance Plan (CWBP) data submitted by Punjab State in the Year 2021, urban tap coverage is 82.95% and sewer/septage coverage is 97.78%. Under AMRUT 2.0, the State Water Action Plans (SWAPs) of the Punjab State comprising of 214 projects worth ₹3,626.38 crore has been approved which include 152 water supply projects worth ₹2,980.78 crore, 12 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹541.86 crore, 25 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹65.47 crore and 25 green spaces & park projects worth ₹38.27 crore. As reported by the State on AMRUT 2.0 portal, contract have been awarded for 148 projects worth ₹1,441.10 crore of which works worth ₹541.46 crore have been physically completed. SCM: The SCM was aimed at developing 100 cities through an area-based approach— retrofitting, redevelopment, greenfield projects, pan-city smart solutions and covered sectors like mobility, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH), governance, energy, and environment with each project having defined timelines. …2/--2- Under SCM, in the State of Punjab three cities, viz. Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana were selected. As reported by the State, as on 15.01.2026, out of a total 204 projects amounting to ₹4,486 Cr, 190 projects (93% of total projects) amounting to ₹4,148 Cr have been completed. Central Financial Assistance of Rs. 1,470 cr have been released for 03 smart cities of Punjab, out of which Rs. 1,419 cr (97%) has been utilized. The SCM has already come to an end on 31.03.2025 and there is no budgetary provision under the erstwhile mission to take any new city. SBM-U: As per the 7th schedule of the constitution, state/ULBs are responsible for assess gaps in waste management/sanitation, planning, designing, executing and operating sanitation projects in the urban areas of the country. Role of MoHUA is limited to providing policy directions, financial and technical support. MoHUA has been conducting an annual cleanliness survey – Swachh Survekshan since the year 2016 through third party assessment to evaluate the cleanliness status and progress in implementation of SBM-U in cities. Swachh Survekshan has over the years played a key role in triggering positive competition amongst cities towards achieving the objectives of the Mission. The performance of Punjab under Swachh Survekshan 2024 is available at https://ss2024.sbmurban.org/#/home. To meet the sanitation related demand of the Urban areas of the country, Government of India launched the SBM-U on October 2, 2014 with the objective of Open Defecation Free (ODF) and for scientific processing of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated in the urban areas of the country. Under SBM – U, the total financial outlay of the States and UTs for the entire Mission Period was ₹62,009 crore, including committed Central Assistance of ₹14,623 crore. Under SBM-U (2014- 2021), the State of Punjab has been allocated an amount of ₹ 364.02 Cr. To continue the support to cities, SBM-U 2.0 has been launched on October 1, 2021 for a period of five years with a vision of achieving safe sanitation and scientific management of all fractions of waste including safe disposal in scientific landfills, legacy dumpsite remediation. Under SBM – U 2.0, the total financial outlay of the States and UTs for the entire Mission Period is ₹1,41,600 crore, including committed Central Assistance of ₹36,465 crore. Under SBM-U 2.0 (2021-2026), the State of Punjab has been allocated an amount of ₹ 1054.20 Cr. 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. Physical and financial progress in the State of Punjab under PMAY-U & PMAY-U 2.0 are as below: Sr. No. Particulars Achievement 1 Houses Sanctioned (Nos) 1,50,610 Houses Grounded for Construction 2 1,24,216 (Nos) Constructions of Houses 3 1,02,370 Completed/ Delivered (Nos) Central Assistance Sanctioned 4 2,604.78 (₹ in crore) Central Assistance Released 5 2,192.73 (₹ in crore) …3/--3- PM e-Bus Sewa: Under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme of this Ministry, a total of 447 e-buses has been sanctioned to the State of Punjab as per the demand received from the State. Central Assistance of ₹ 43.77 Cr. For development of Power and Civil depot infrastructure is also sanctioned. Details are as below: (Rs. in crores) Amount No. of Buses sanctioned for S. No. Participating City State Sanctioned Infrastructure Development 1 Amritsar 100 9.48 2 Jalandhar 97 9.11 3 Punjab Ludhiana 100 15.84 4 Patiala 50 9.34 5 SAS Nagar 100 - Total 447 43.77 *****