Budget allocates Rs 1,000 crore for development of smart cities in Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: The state government has allocated Rs 8,727.08 crore, or about 3.79 per cent of the total budget outlay, for municipal administration and urban development department, with an objective to achieve sustainable development goals of clean water and sanitation, and making human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient. The allocation is 7.2 per cent higher than the previous fiscal’s allocation, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy noted.
Some of the important allocations made include Rs 1,000 crore for the development of smart cities in the state as against Rs 300 crore made in the 2020-21 fiscal. While there has been no major allocation for metro rail projects proposed in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada-Amaravati, Rs 3.6 crore has been allocated for the department administrative purposes.
Other significant allocations included Rs 367.86 crore for AMRUT scheme, Rs 300 crore for Andhra Pradesh Urban Water Supply and Septage Management Improvement Project, and Rs 226.18 crore for APTIDCO (economically weaker sections housing). Municipal ward secretariats and municipal ward volunteers were earmarked with Rs 942 crore and Rs 395 crore, respectively.
About Rs 179 crore was allocated for construction of community toilets in urban local bodies under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and another Rs 80 crore for individual household lavetories. A total of Rs 85 crore has been set aside for infrastructure development in grade-III municipalities and Nagar Panchayats, besides solid waste management projects.
Buggana noted that the state government has taken up AP Urban Water Supply Project at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore with AIIB assistance to provide potable drinking water to 3.3 million urban population in 50 ULBs. “The government has taken up establishment of 560 YSR Urban Clinics in the 120 ULBs. Under AMRUT scheme, works such as water supply, sewage and septage management and storm water drains are scheduled to be completed by December, 2021,” he said.
