SRINAGAR: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal held a review of Central urban development schemes in Jammu and Kashmir during a meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Thursday. The two leaders focused on expediting infrastructure projects, enhancing service delivery in urban areas, and promoting inclusive and sustainable urban growth across the Union Territory.
The high-level meeting, attended by senior officials from both the Central and J&K Governments, covered the progress of flagship schemes including the Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT 2.0, Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), PM-eBus Sewa, and others. Minister Manohar Lal said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were receiving the full benefits of national urban development initiatives and that the Centre and the UT administration were working in close coordination, upholding the spirit of cooperative federalism.
He reviewed the implementation of AMRUT 2.0 and stressed on speeding up the provision of water supply connections and sewerage systems in all urban local bodies. On the Smart Cities Mission, which covers Srinagar and Jammu, the minister urged completion of ongoing projects, the upgradation of Integrated Command and Control Centres for real-time governance, and restructuring of Special Purpose Vehicles for long-term viability.
The review also included the CITIIS 2.0 programme, under which the government of Jammu and Kashmir was advised to set up a State Climate Centre for Cities to ensure smoother funding and implementation of advanced waste management projects. Under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, it was noted that J&K’s allocation had increased by over Rs 200 crore compared to the earlier phase, and the UT was directed to accelerate construction of public and community toilets, urinals, solid waste management infrastructure, and sewage treatment facilities to move closer to the goal of garbage-free cities.
Regarding Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban 2.0, the UT has submitted over 19,000 applications on the national portal, with in-principle approval already granted for the construction of 10,000 pucca houses. The Centre asked the administration to speed up verification processes to ensure that eligible families receive timely benefits. In the earlier phase of PMAY-U, authorities were directed to expedite the construction of sanctioned houses still under various stages of completion.
Under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission, the UT government was asked to begin surveys to identify the urban homeless and form a Grievance Redressal Committee under the Street Vendors Act. For the PM SVANidhi scheme, officials were instructed to clear pending applications, profile eligible street vendors, and improve women’s participation. The implementation of PM-eBus Sewa was also reviewed, especially with respect to fund mapping and participation in the scheme’s Payment Security Mechanism.
Speaking after the review, Manohar Lal said Jammu and Kashmir forms an integral part of India’s development journey and is seeing notable progress in urban transformation. He outlined key directions for effective planning, timely implementation, and improved urban governance aimed at enhancing the quality of life and strengthening infrastructure across cities in the Union Territory.
