Second Phase of Urban Environment Improvement Programme launched in Punjab

Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab has virtually launched the phase-II of Rs. 11,000 crore Urban Environment Improvement Programme (UIEP). He has launched the programme from Bachat Bhawan, Ludhiana in Punjab. The project will focus on the development of the state’s urban infrastructure and well- organized service delivery systems to the urban population.

What were the funds allocated for the programme in phase I?

The Punjab state has spent Rs. 3000 crores in the first phase of UIEP.

What are the key steps to be implemented in Second Phase of the programme?

  • There will be a canal based water supply in the four major cities of Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar.
  • The foundation stone to implement the project was laid for Patiala during the launch. The work for all the cities has been launched at Jalandhar. The state government will spend Rs.650 crores for wash of ‘Buddha Nullah” in Ludhinia.
  • Water supply and sewage works are to be constructed at a cost of Rs.4,000 crore, in many towns of Punjab.
  • A one-time-settlement scheme was also declared for unresolved VAT (Value Added Tax) assessment to encourage economic activity in urban area.

Need for the scheme

Punjab is in the middle of urban transformation. At the rising of the 20th century, only 12.46 % of the entire residents of the then before partition united Punjab was urban. In the start of the 21st century, the urban residence of Punjab has expands to 33.95 per cent. It was 27.78 percent for the country as a whole. Punjab is at present the fifth urbanized state of India next to Tamil Nadu (43.86%), Maharashtra (42.40%), Gujarat (37.35%) and Karnataka (33.98%).

Now-a-days, one out of each three persons in Punjab is urbanized. It is the most urbanized state of the region and is running in front on race with Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The ACGR of the urban population is excessive than that of the total population. This has outcome in high population density in urban areas.


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