Atal Innovation for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation

The Atal Innovation for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, popularly known as AMRUT, is a flagship scheme of the Indian Government. The initiative, upon its launch in the year 2015, effectively replaced the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM). It is aimed at providing basic services to households and building amenities in cities to improve the quality of citizen life, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. The Ministry of Urban Development is the nodal ministry for this scheme. This article provides an in-depth account of the initiative.

Thrust Areas

The Mission concentrates on the following thrust Areas:

Water Supply
Sewerage and septage management
Stormwater drainage to reduce flooding
Non-motorized urban transport
Green space/parks

Coverage

A total of 500 cities have been chosen for this initiative, which includes:

Cities and towns with a population of more than one lakh with notified municipalities.
Capital cities/towns of states/union territories not covered in the above criteria.
Cities/towns classed as Heritage Cities by MoHUA under the HRIDAY Scheme.
Thirteen cities/towns on the stem of the main rivers with a population of above 75,000 but less than one lakh.
Ten cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations. It is noteworthy that not more than one city will be selected from each of these locales.

Objectives

AMRUT is being operated with the following objectives:

Ensuring that every household has access to a tap with an assured water supply and sewerage connection.
Enhancing the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well-maintained open spaces.
Reducing pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport.

Mission Components

The components of this Mission, which precisely means the points of execution, include:

Water Supply

Creation of water supply systems, which includes augmentation of existing water supply, water treatment plans and universal metering.
Rehabilitation of old water supply systems.
Rejuvenation of water bodies for drinking water supply and recharging of groundwater.
Special arrangements for water supply in difficult areas, hill and coastal cities, including those with water quality issues.

Sewerage

Creation of decentralized, networked underground sewerage systems, including augmentation of existing sewerage systems and sewerage treatment plans.
Rehabilitation of old sewerage system and treatment plans.
Recycling of water for beneficial purposes and water re-usage.

Storm Water Drainage

Involves the construction and improvement of drains and stormwater drains for reducing and eliminating flooding.

Urban Transport

Creation of footpaths/walkways, sidewalks, foot over-bridges and facilities for non-motorized transport.
Multi-level parking.

Green Space/Parks

Development of green space and parks with special provision for children, senior citizens and Divyang friendly components.

Administration

The initiative will be managed at the National, State and City levels. At the National Level, the mission will be administered by an Apex Committee, chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). The Committee is responsible for approving the State Annual Action Plan (SAAP), and will also be involved in allocating and receiving funds to States/UTs/Mission Directorate on formulating threshold of physical progress of the project. At the state level, the mission would be headed by a State Level High Powered Steering Committee, chaired by the State Chief Secretary. The Committee is entrusted with the task of identifying the following among others:

Any infrastructural gaps based on State Level Benchmarks.
The need for individual and institutional capacity building.
The means of achieving urban reforms.
The finalization of financial outlays.

Apart from these functions, the committee will be engaged in supervising and monitoring the progress of the project, recommending proposals for fund release, recommending the layout for implementation of reforms in the states/ULBs, etc. With respect to a city, the Urban Local Bodies will be vested with the implementation responsibilities, which may be carried out through the development of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and bid documents for projects in the approved SAAP, procurement of implementation agencies and ensuring the timely completion of work.