Hyderabad: Before the launching of new initiatives pertaining to urban development and housing, the Union government has embarked on taking up implementation of issues directly with municipal commissioners across the country.
Union Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu will talk face-to-face with municipal commissioners of all cities with population of more than one lakh each. This will be done at ‘Consultative workshops’ to be held in different regions of the country. The first of such workshops will be held at Hyderabad on Monday. Municipal Commissioners of over 70 cities and senior officials of urban development departments from the five southern states viz., Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be attending the first workshop.

Implementation issues pertaining to the schemes viz., Swachh Bharat Mission, Urban Renewal of 500 cities/towns, Housing for All by 2022, Skill Development and Self-employment of urban poor under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana and Capacity Building of urban local bodies will be discussed in detail. Venkaiah Naidu will give an account of the broad objectives of the new initiatives in urban sector besides sharing his concerns about the state of urban governance and innovations and improvements required to achieve the objectives in the context of Union government’s emphasis on urban development.

Venkaiah Naidu has often expressed concern about ‘weak urban governance structures in the country in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambition to make urban sector an effective engine of economic growth. Urbanization in the country at the moment is at the level of 31% of total population. Global experience suggests that while urbanization will be slow till it reaches 30% level, it will gain momentum till it reaches 60%. Accordingly, the country is at an inflection point and the opportunities offered by rapid urbanization need to be seized, feels Naidu.

Similar Consultative Workshops will be organized in other regions of the country to sensitize chief executives of municipal bodies of above one lakh population each.

Soon after the formation of new government at the Centre, the Ministries of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation have jointly organized a National Conclave of Ministers of Urban Development of States and UTs for stocktaking of issues relating to urban development and housing. For the first time, a National Declaration on Urban Governance and Housing for All was adopted at this Conclave with States and UTs agreeing to implement a set of identified urban governance reforms. Further to this, Shri Venkaiah Naidu has decided to reach out to municipal commissioners who are key players in implementing new urban initiatives.

On the occasion at Hyderabad on Monday, Venkaiah Naidu will nominate nine Swachh Bharat Ambassadors each from two States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. They include: K. Kavita and Galla Jayadev (MPs), VVS Lakshman, Shivlal Yadav, Pullela Gopichand and Koneru Humpy (Sportspersons), Pawan Kalyan, Dr S.P. Balasubramaniam, Nitin, Suddala Ashok Teja and Amala Nagarjuna (Film Industry), B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, J.A. Chowdary, J. Rameswara Rao and G.V.K. Reddy (Industry sector), Dr Gopi Chand and Dr G.S. Rao(Medical field) and Vemuri Radhakrishna (Media).