Govt moves to bring states on board for urban policy draft

New Delhi: In an attempt to bring all states on board to expedite the projects of urban development, the Centre is planning to hold a brainstorming session with all stakeholders for drafting an exclusive Urban Policy.

According to a senior official, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has been tasked to organise the conclave, which is likely to be held in December.

"The purpose of organising the conclave is to discuss in detail all the issues of urban development with states. Their challenges in the implementation of different developmental projects," the official said.

As there is no dedicated policy to monitor the projects under the ambit of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the government at the Centre faces many challenges in keeping a tab on the ongoing projects.

There are several projects that are being implemented by the Union Urban Development Ministry, but when we try to take stock of all those projects, poor response from the states defeats the purpose.

"As almost every project related to the development of urban township is funded by the Centre, a policy for it would help in deciding the working pattern," the official said.

"It's anticipated that after some 30 years, the urban population would be more than the rural population. In the changed demographic scenario, all stakeholders would need the policy to regulate the affairs of urban development," the official said.

Outlining about the proposed conclave, the official said, "At the proposed meet, the government would try to bring all stakeholders on board to prepare the draft of the Urban Policy. The preparations are on to send letters to states for their participation."

The official further said, "At the conclave, the Centre would also discuss with all stakeholders about the challenges that they face in the implementation of projects of urban development such as Housing for All, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Smart Cities, Metro projects, etc. At conclave, the government would also try to address every possible issue that would be raised by states."

The move is being initiated by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on the direction of Prime Minister.

In India out of the total population of 1210.2 million, about 377.1 million are in urban areas.

The net addition of population in urban areas over the last decade is 91.0 million.