Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 3: The ongoing projects under AMRUT and Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) are all set to attain pace as the Government of India has released first installment of Central assistance for implementation of both the schemes in Jammu and Kashmir State for the current financial year.
The Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, has released twenty percent of the approved Central assistance of Rs 177.06 crores for the financial year 2016-17 for implementation of AMRUT Scheme in the State,” official sources informed the Excelsior.
With the release of Rs 35.52 crores, work on Phase II of Sewage Project for Greater Jammu and left out areas of Talab Tillo, Electromechanical STP at Talab Tillo and several other pending works are all set to get pace, sources added.
Mega multi-storey parking projects at Panjtirthi in Jammu and Sheikhpora in Srinagar are also likely to be kick-started soon with the release of first installment of the Central assistance under AMRUT.
Pertinent to mention that under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 with the focus of the urban renewal projects, five cities of the J&K State have been undertaken for establishing infrastructure that could ensure adequate robust sewerage networks and water supply for urban transformation. These cities include Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Kargil and Leh where projects of Liquid Waste Management and Sewage, Storm Water Drainage/ Drainage, Solid Waste Management, and other Urban Infrastructure Projects have been undertaken under the scheme.
In a similar development, sources informed, the Government of India has also released Rs 4.57 crores as first installment of Central assistance for implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission in Jammu and Kashmir State.
This amount has been sanctioned and released exclusively for the construction of individual household toilets in Urban areas of the State, sources added.
Since several works under AMRUT and Swachh Bharat Mission are already under progress, sources said that the executing agencies are all set to collect the Utilization Certificates and forward the same to the Government of India for release of pending installments of the Central assistance.
The AMRUT is being operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the funds for the mission consist four parts, which include; Project fund – 80 percent of the annual budgetary allocation, Incentive for Reforms – 10 percent of the annual budgetary Allocation, State funds for Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE) – 8 percent of the annual budgetary allocation and MoUD funds for Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE) – 2 percent of the annual budgetary allocation.
State share for the Mission is 10 percent while 90 percent Central assistance is being provided by the Ministry of Urban Development, which has allocated a total of approximately Rs 593 crores on the AMRUT projects for J&K.
The allocation for year 2015-16 was Rs 153.87 crores while for year 2016-17, the allocation is Rs 177 crores, based on the equitable formula in which equal (90:10) weightage is given to the urban population of each State (Census 2011) and the number of statutory towns in the State/UT.
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