NEW DELHI: The Delhi government plans to transform the villages of Delhi with an allocation of Rs 900 crore, announced Development Minister Gopal Rai.
Emphasising the need for rural development, Rai stated that preparations have commenced on an urgent basis to uplift all rural areas of the national capital, with a particular focus on road construction.
Rai outlined the government’s commitment to expedite development in both urban villages and rural areas, setting a strict timeline for project completion.
With previous delays attributed to the Lok Sabha election model code of conduct, the aim is to finish the development work before the onset of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in November.
“Due to the code of conduct, decision-making on new projects was halted for the past two months. However, as soon as the code of conduct ended, the Delhi government ramped up efforts to accelerate the city’s development,” Rai explained.
“Delhi comprises numerous urbanized and rural villages, and for the first time, the city government has allocated Rs 900 crore in the budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025.”
Rai revealed that the Village Development Board oversees the execution of development projects, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department serving as executing agencies. This year, the priority lies in upgrading all village roads. “Before the imposition of the election code of conduct, the Village Development Board convened a meeting where 1,387 proposals from various MLAs were presented and unanimously approved,” he added.
Highlighting the process for project completion, Rai outlined a three-tier approach involving board approval, tendering by executing agencies, and ground-level implementation.
Rai said the agencies concerned have been given a timeline of June 15 to prepare their action plans for the development of villages in the national capital.
“We have the necessary budget and board approval for these projects. It’s now a matter of implementation. “We’ve instructed all agencies to draft their action plans by June 15 and identify any challenges they may face on the ground,” Rai said.