Rs 10.75 cr grant proposed for urban development

The government has proposed a grant of Rs 10.75 crore for the current financial year for the development and improvement of roads, streetlights, sewerage, sanitation, parks and parking facilities in newly formed and upgraded urban local bodies. The Municipal Corporations of Hamirpur, Una and Baddi will receive Rs 1 crore each, while Nadaun, Baijnath-Paprola and Sunni Municipal Councils will get Rs 25 lakh each. As many as 14 new Nagar Panchayats will receive Rs 50 lakh each.

According to a government spokesperson, the government has provided a three-year exemption from property tax to ease the transition of rural areas into the urban fold. The spokesperson said that the government was set to roll out an expanded form of the Mukhya Mantri Laghu Dukandar Kalyan Yojana. This scheme would provide a one-time settlement of up to Rs 1 lakh through banks for distressed vendors and shopkeepers with an annual turnover below Rs 10 lakh and the state government would bear the interest cost.

Another key initiative of the government's development strategy for urban areas is the digital transformation of governance. ‘One State One Portal Citizen Seva’ platform aims to provide seamless and transparent online services to citizens across all ULBs.

The spokesperson said that the government was also planning to set up Municipal Common Services Centres at the district level. A comprehensive proposal worth Rs 49.98 crore had been submitted to the Central Government to set up these centres, which would offer advanced urban planning solutions and improve sanitation and waste management. Proposals had been sent to the Centre to support creative city re-development projects and innovative financing models.