Current Affairs-Indian Economic Survey-2012-13:JNNURM: Fueling Urban Renewal

JNNURM: Fueling Urban Renewal

The Jahwaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was launched in 2005 to support and facilitate 65 mission cities to take up projects of urban renewal. The Government has extended the seven year tenure of the mission by two years upto 31st March, 2014. All the 65 cities under the Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) component of the Mission have prepared comprehensive City Development Plans which include investment plans with a focus on providing city wide urban services such as water supply, sanitation, drainage, urban transport etc. As on December, 2012 more than 91% of the seven year Additional Central Assistance (ACA) allocation of Rs. 31,500 crore has been committed. A total of 551 projects at an approved cost of Rs. 61,772.9 crore for the 65 mission cities spread over 31 states/UTs has been sanctioned. Moreover a sum of Rs. 20,145.2 crore has been released as ACA till 31st December, 2012. 

The mission has also undertaken an exercise for assessing finances and credit worthiness of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of the mission cities that have been charged with implementation of the urban renewal projects. This is intended to trigger the process of leveraging debt for JNNURM projects and provide a platform for the ULBs and financial institutions to engage in issues related to project financing. As of now, 65 ULBs of the mission cities have been assigned final ratings. Moreover, as a follow up surveillance rating has been initiated to affirm the rating and assess improvements undertaken. So far 62 ULBs have undergone surveillance rating. 

Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRTS), providing speedy and better transport to passengers, have been approved for Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Jaipur, Rajkot, Surat, Vijaywada, Vishakapatnam, Kolkata and Pune-Pimpri-Chinchwad. These projects will cover total length of 467.4 kms at an estimated cost of Rs. 5211.6 crore with admissible central finance assistance of Rs. 2373.4 crore. The scheme also provides for purchase of 15260 buses at a total cost of Rs. 4727 crores. Till Novemebr, 2012 more than 12,620 model Intelligent Transport System (ITS) enabled low-floor and semi-low floor buses have been delivered to the states/Union Territories.