The Hindu Business Line : States must focus on urban poor: PM

New Delhi June 17 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, reviewed the progress of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and reiterated the need for States to pay greater attention to the reform of urban governance, and modernisation of urban infrastructure, with special focus on the lives of the poor in urban areas.

During the meeting, the Minister for Urban Development, Mr Jaipal Reddy, informed the Prime Minister that some States had taken the initiative to implement programmes under JNNURM. As a result, of the 63 cities that have prepared city development plans, six cities covered by the programme will now have 100 per cent water supply. These are Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam.

Development plans

"Four cities will have systems for collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of wastes. These are Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow and Rajkot. Six cities — Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Pune, Thane and Vijayawada — will have improved Bus Rapid Transit Systems. Four cities in the North East, namely, Aizwal, Gangtok, Itanagar and Shillong will have municipal bodies," an official release said here.

The release said that 33 cities have implemented e-governance reforms, adding that forty cities have earmarked funds for services to urban poor.

The PM also chaired a meeting of the Island Development Authority and said that the balanced development of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands would be a focus area for the 11th Plan. "The Union Cabinet Secretary has been asked to monitor all inter-ministerial issues on a quarterly basis to ensure that the Government of India is pro active in dealing with problems of infrastructure development, human development and disaster management in the islands," a statement said.