NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s position in the world would have been completely different if 75 planned cities had been developed in the 75 years of its independence.
Addressing a post-Budget webinar on the subject of ‘Urban Development with Focus on Planning’, Prime Minister Modi said only one or two planned cities were developed in the country after independence.
This was the sixth of the series of 12 webinars being organised by the government. The objective behind hosting the webinars is to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023.
PM Modi reiterated that well-planned cities are the need of the hour in the fast-paced environment of India in the 21st century. He informed that an incentive of Rs 15,000 crores has been declared in this year’s budget for urban development standards and expressed confidence that it will provide impetus to planned urbanization.
He urged the participants of the webinar to focus on three main questions about how to strengthen the urban planning ecosystem in the states, how to properly use the expertise available in the private sector in urban planning and lastly how to develop a centre of excellence that will take urban planning to a new level.
“Urban planning will determine the fate of our cities in Amritkal and it is only well-planned cities that will determine the fate of India,” PM Modi said.
He requested experts, who attended the webinar, to come up with innovative ideas while highlighting the role that they can play in areas such as the development of different types of planning tools, efficient human resources, and capacity building.
“India is making the circular economy a major basis of urban development,” he added, noting that thousands of tonnes of municipal waste such as battery waste, electrical waste, automobile waste, tires and waste generated daily were being used to make compost.
He noted that the edges of India’s cities would not have been filled with mountains of garbage had this step been taken earlier.
“Our new cities must be garbage-free, water secure, and climate-resilient,” PM Modi said, stressing the need to increase investment in urban infrastructure and planning in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. (ANI)