The Urban Development Ministry has laid down the operational guidelines for formulation, approval and execution of projects under the three missions — Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Housing for All Mission in Urban Areas — launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

For AMRUT, a set of 11 reforms are to be implemented in four years, including promoting e-governance, improving collection of various taxes, fee and user charges, augmenting double entry accounting, constitution and professionalisation of municipal cadre, preparation of GIS-based master plans, devolution of funds and functionaries to urban local bodies, review of building by-laws, setting up financial intermediaries for pooling and disbursement of resources, credit rating of urban local bodies, energy and water audit and achieving Swachh Bharat milestones.

States will be required to transfer funds to urban local bodies within seven days of transfer by the Centre.

SPVs to be set up Central assistance for smart cities mission will be used only for infrastructure projects that have larger public benefit. Special purpose vehicles will be set up for implementation of smart city plans with 50:50 equity of States and urban local bodies, the Ministry added.

The parameters also state that 500 acres is the minimum area norm for retrofitting; 50 acres for re-development; 250 acres for greenfield projects. The criteria will be 50 per cent for North-Eastern and Himalayan States. About 10 per cent of energy needs are to be met from renewable sources, 80 per cent of building construction to be green and 35 per cent of housing in green field projects to be for economically weaker sections, in smart cities, it added.

Housing for all For housing for all, the ownership of houses will be in the name of woman or jointly with husband. The statement added that houses of 30 sq. m carpet area to be built for EWS category. In case of non-availability, States can relax with the consent of beneficiaries. They can also enhance the area while meeting the additional expenditure.

The Centre will provide ₹1 lakh on an average per house which can be used by States for any slum redevelopment project in the State to make them viable. An interest subvention at 6.50 per cent will be paid soon after sanction of loan to the beneficiary so as to bring down the EMI.

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