Union Minister Manohar Lal Announces Jal Hi AMRIT Scheme and Major Projects in First 100 Days
New Delhi, India – The government has introduced the Jal Hi AMRIT scheme within its first 100 days, aiming to promote efficient water management. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, shared this during a press conference on the ministry’s 100-day achievements.
The initiative encourages states and Union Territories (UTs) to manage sewage treatment plants (STPs) efficiently, ensuring the production of good-quality, recyclable treated water. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and parastatal agencies are nominating STPs from their regions for this scheme.
Under AMRUT 2.0, the minister highlighted that 68 projects worth Rs 3,020 crore and 41 projects worth Rs 3,805 crore, totaling Rs 6,825 crore, will be implemented across 13 states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Overall, 263 projects worth Rs 9,352 crore will see either their inauguration or foundation laid within this period.
Manohar Lal emphasized that the government’s efforts in its first 100 days were focused on enhancing citizens’ ease of living and ensuring a dignified way of life. He also referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Housing for All initiative, where the Union Cabinet resolved to provide assistance to 3 crore additional rural and urban households for house construction.
The minister discussed PMAY-U 2.0, an initiative aimed at addressing the housing needs of 1 crore families with a total investment of Rs 10 lakh crore, ensuring every citizen leads a better quality of life.
Highlighting the government’s work on urban transport, he mentioned the approval of three metro projects worth Rs 31,000 crore in the first 100 days. These include Bengaluru Metro Phase-3, Thane Internal Ring Road Metro Project, and the southward extension of the Pune Metro Rail Project.
The government is also prioritizing water recycling, processing, and reuse in both rural and urban areas. The Jal Hi AMRIT scheme has been launched to further water management efforts.
Regarding the Swachh Bharat Mission and Swachhata Hi Seva 2024 Campaign, around 7.5 lakh Cleanliness Target Units (CTUs) have been registered on portals, with 86 per cent of these already cleaned.
Doubts Revealed
Union Minister -: A Union Minister is a person who is in charge of a specific department in the central government of India. They help make important decisions for the country.
Manohar Lal -: Manohar Lal is a politician in India who is currently serving as the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs.
Jal Hi AMRIT scheme -: The Jal Hi AMRIT scheme is a new plan by the government to manage water resources better. ‘Jal’ means water in Hindi, and ‘AMRIT’ stands for Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.
States and UTs -: States and UTs refer to the different regions in India. ‘States’ are large areas with their own governments, and ‘UTs’ or Union Territories are smaller areas directly governed by the central government.
Sewage treatment plants -: Sewage treatment plants are facilities where dirty water from homes and factories is cleaned before it is released back into the environment.
AMRUT 2.0 -: AMRUT 2.0 is the second phase of a government program aimed at improving water supply and sewage systems in cities.
Projects worth Rs 9,352 crore -: This means that the government will spend Rs 9,352 crore (a large amount of money) on different projects to improve water and sewage systems.
Metro projects -: Metro projects refer to the construction and expansion of metro train systems in cities to improve public transportation.
PMAY-U 2.0 -: PMAY-U 2.0 stands for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0, a government scheme to provide affordable housing to people living in cities.
Swachh Bharat Mission -: The Swachh Bharat Mission is a campaign by the Indian government to clean up the streets, roads, and infrastructure of India’s cities and rural areas.
Cleanliness Target Units -: Cleanliness Target Units are specific goals set by the government to clean certain areas or facilities as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
