Gandhinagar, Aug 11 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday distributed development grants totalling Rs 3,850 crore to the state’s municipal corporations and municipalities at a ceremony in Gandhinagar.
The event saw 17 municipal corporations receiving Rs 2,992 crore and 152 municipalities getting Rs 858 crore under the ‘Swarnim Jayanti Chief Minister Urban Development Scheme’.
The cheques were distributed in the presence of Urban Development and Finance Minister Kanu Desai, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani, Minister of State for Urban Development Darshana Vaghela, and Deputy Whip Jagdish Makwana.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation received the largest allocation among the municipal corporations at Rs 870 crore, followed by Surat with Rs 770 crore.
Vadodara received Rs 285 crore, Rajkot Rs 232 crore, while Bhavnagar and Jamnagar were allocated Rs 105 crore each. Junagadh and Gandhinagar received Rs 65 crore each.
Gandhidham, Navsari, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Mehsana, Vapi, Nadiad, Anand and Morbi each received Rs 55 crore.
Among municipalities, 41 ‘Class A’ municipalities were allocated Rs 307.50 crore, while 34 ‘Class B’ municipalities received Rs 221 crore.
A further Rs 270 crore was allocated to 60 ‘Class C’ municipalities and Rs 59.50 crore to 17 ‘Class D’ municipalities.
Addressing the gathering, Patel said the grants were intended to support comprehensive urban development and improve public amenities and services.
He called for civic services to become “citizen-centric, transparent, accountable and technology-driven”.
Patel said people were able to see the impact of public-interest works and that improvements in ease of living had raised expectations for further development.
The Chief Minister urged municipal corporation and municipality office-bearers, commissioners and chief officers to ensure that the funds were used for high-quality public works.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid a strong foundation for urban development through greater financial support for cities, including the celebration of the ‘Year of Urban Development’ in 2005. Gujarat had since built on that foundation through wider development programmes,” he noted.
Desai said the state needed to plan urban infrastructure keeping climate change in mind. He also called for cleaner and greener cities and said the ‘Swachhata Abhiyan’ should be taken forward collectively.
Vaghela said the grant allocation tradition initiated for urban development was aimed at improving the quality of urban life.
“Swadeshi fairs for local craftsmen and artists and zone-wise workshops for solid waste disposal had been planned as part of efforts linked to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision,” she said.
During the ceremony, Patel released two coffee table books, “20 Years of Urban Development” and “Anant Anadi Vadnagar: A Glorious Saga of Development Through Heritage”.
Gandhinagar Mayor Meera Patel, Principal Secretary (Urban Development) M. Thennarasan, Gujarat Urban Development Company Managing Director Remya Mohan, Gujarat Municipal Finance Board CEO Veena Patel and officials, elected representatives, municipal commissioners, presidents and chief officers were present.
–IANS
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