The Centre has approved action plans under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (Hriday) for eight mission cities at approximately ₹450 crore, said a statement from the Urban Development Ministry.

Comprehensive plans for Varanasi, Mathura, Ajmer, Dwaraka (Gujarat), Badami (Karnataka), Warangal (Telangana), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) and Velankanni (Tamil Nadu) seek to conserve and develop core heritage assets in these cities. Focus is also on improving sanitation through solid waste management, easy access through signages and better mobility, interpretation centres, landscaping, provision of green spaces, etc.

Heritage development in Varanasi, across four zones, will be taken up at a cost of ₹130 crore, including ₹89.31 crore allocated under Hriday, the statement said. It aims to develop pedestrian pathways, façade improvement, multilevel parking and solid waste management, and as many as 30 roads in different heritage zones.

Infra development In Mathura, infrastructure development will be taken up in six different zones at a cost of ₹41.37 crore while for Ajmer and adjoining Pushkar, ₹60.98 crore will be spent across five zones on various projects. Badami will witness a significant facelift at a cost of ₹61.86 crore while for Dwaraka it will be done at ₹19.56 crore.

Velankanni will see an investment of ₹42.26 crore and Warangal, ₹72.97 crore including ₹40.54 crore under Hriday. Amaravati will be improved at a cost of ₹20.33 crore, it said.

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