The Government of India has launched the Smart Cities Mission on 25 June 2015.

The objective is to promote sustainable and inclusive cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’ Solutions.

The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a lighthouse to other aspiring cities. The Smart Cities Mission is meant to set examples that can be replicated both within and outside the Smart City, catalysing the creation of similar Smart Cities in various regions and parts of the country.

Some of the core infrastructure elements in a Smart City would include adequate water supply, assured electricity supply, sanitation, including solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, affordable housing, especially for the poor, robust IT connectivity and digitalization, good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation, sustainable environment, safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly and health and education.

The strategic components of the Smart Cities Mission are city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (Greenfield development) plus a Pan-city initiative in which Smart Solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city.

Area-based development will transform existing areas (retrofit and redevelop), including slums, into better planned human settlements, thereby, improving liveability of the whole cities. Development of well-planned and fully serviced new areas (greenfield) will be encouraged around cities in order to accommodate the rapidly expanding population in urban areas. Application of Smart Solutions will enable cities to use technology to improve infrastructure and services.

Comprehensive development in this way will improve quality of life, create employment and enhance incomes for all, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, leading to inclusive cities.

Selection Process

The selection process of Smart Cities is based on the idea of Competitive and Co-operative Federalism and follows a Challenge process to select cities in two stages.

In January 2016, based on the All India Competition, 20 smart cities were selected in Round 1 (Annexure-I). 13 more Smart Cities were selected in May 2016 in fast track round (Annexure-II).

In Round 2, 63 potential smart cities participated of which, 27 Smart Cities have been selected in September 2016 (Annexure-III).

In Round 3, 45 potential smart cities participated of which, 30 Smart Cities have been selected in June 2017 (Annexure-IV).

In Round 4, 15 potential smart cities participated of which, 9 Smart Cities have been selected in January 2018 (Annexure-V).

A total investment of Rs.2,01,981 crore has been proposed by the 99 cities under their smart city plans. Projects focusing on revamping an identified area (Area Based Projects) are estimated to cost Rs. 1,63,138 crore. Smart initiatives across the city (Pan City Initiatives) account for the remaining Rs. 38,841 crore of investments.

The implementation of the Smart Cities Mission is done by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to be set up at city level in the form of a limited company under the Companies Act, 2013 and will be promoted by the State/UT and the Urban Local Body (ULB) jointly both having 50:50 equity shareholding. After selection, each selected Smart Cities have to set up SPVs and start implementation of their Smart City Proposal, preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), tenders etc.

The SPV will convert the Smart City Proposal into projects through Project Management Consultants (PMCs) and implementation thereafter.

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reverse migration of urban migrants/ poor in the country. Urban migrants stay in slums/ informal settlements/ unauthorised colonies/ peri-urban areas to save cost on housing. They need decent rental housing at affordable rate at their work sites.

In order to address this need, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has initiated Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri AWAS Yojana- Urban (PMAY-U). This will provide ease of living to urban migrants/ poor in Industrial Sector as well as in non-formal urban economy to get access to dignified affordable rental housing close to their workplace.

The ARHC scheme will be implemented through two models: Utilizing existing Government funded vacant houses to convert into ARHCs through Public Private Partnership or by Public Agencies Construction, Operation and Maintenance of ARHCs by Public/ Private Entities on their own available vacant land

Beneficiaries for ARHCs are urban migrants/ poor from EWS/ LIG categories. ARHCs will be a mix of single/double bedroom Dwelling Units and Dormitory of 4/6 beds including all common facilities which will be exclusively used for rental housing for a minimum period of 25 years.

These complexes will ensure a dignified living environment for urban migrants/poor close to their workplaces at affordable rates. This will unlock existing vacant housing stock and make them available in urban space. It will propel new investment opportunities and promote entrepreneurship in rental housing sector by encouraging Private/Public Entities to efficiently utilize their vacant land available for developing ARHCs

Two-pronged implementation strategy: - Model-1: Utilizing existing Government funded vacant houses to convert into ARHCs through Public Private Partnership (PPP) or by Public Agencies

Model-2: Construction, Operation & Maintenance of ARHCs by Public/ Private Entities on their own available vacant land Signing of MOUs with States/UTs

ARHCs can be a mix of Single Bedroom unit of up to 30 sqm/ Double Bedroom unit of up to 60 sqm with living area, kitchen, toilet and bathroom; and Dormitory Bed of up to 10 sqm carpet areas each, including all common facilities.

A maximum of 33% houses with double room is permissible in a project.

In-block renting for smooth implementation and sustained income

Incentives Proposed for Private/Public Entities:

The Mission - The Government of India has launched the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) with the aim of providing basic civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, urban transport, parks as to improve the quality of life for all especially the poor and the disadvantaged.

The focus of the Mission is on infrastructure creation that has a direct link to provision of better services to the citizens.

The purpose of “AMRUT” mission is to (i) ensure that every household has access to a tap with assured supply of water and a sewerage connection (ii) increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces e.g. parks and (iii) reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport e.g. walking and cycling.

The major project components are Water Supply system, Sewerage, Septage, Storm Water Drainage, Urban Transport, Green Space and Parks, Reforms management and support, Capacity building etc. in that order of priority.

The universal coverage of water supply and sewerage services have first charge in the Mission. There is maximum allocation of 2.5% of project cost for development of parks with children and elderly friendly features.

The Mission covers covering 500 cities that includes all cities and towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities.

Total outlay for AMRUT is Rs. 50,000 crores for five years from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20 and the Mission and is being operated as Central Sponsored Scheme.

The project fund is divided among States/UTs in an equitable formula in which 50:50 weightage is being given to the urban population of each State/UT and number of statutory towns.

Reforms - The Mission is encouraging and supporting the States in conducting reforms that will improve the financial health of the ULBs, delivery of citizen services, transparency and cut the cost of services.

The Ministry has circulated model building bylaws and has advised the States to adopt them, specifically its 14 essential features. The Ministry is also supporting the States in conduct of credit rating of the Mission cities that will help them raise resources from the market.

The Ministry is also helping them to conduct energy audit of the pumping systems in the cities in order to improve the energy efficiency.

The Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U), launched on 2nd October 2014 aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste in 4,041 statutory towns in the country.

The second phase of SBM-U was launched on 1st October 2021, for a period of 5 years. The vision for SBM-U 2.0 is to achieve “Garbage Free” status for all cities by 2026.

The objectives of the mission are mentioned below: All households and premises segregate their waste into wet waste (from kitchen and gardens) and “dry waste” (including paper, glass, plastic, and domestic hazardous waste and sanitary waste wrapped separately).

100% door to door collection of segregated waste from each household/ premise.

100% scientific management of all fractions of waste, including safe disposal in scientific landfills.

All legacy dumpsites remediated and converted into green zone.

All used water including fecal sludge, especially in smaller cities are safely contained, transported, processed and disposed so that no untreated fecal sludge and used water pollutes the ground or water bodies.

The Mission has the following components: Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines;

Community toilets

Public toilets

Solid waste management

IEC & Public Awareness

Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE)

The Mission Outcomes, which are expected to be achieved by the end of the Mission tenure include: All statutory towns are certified at least 3-star Garbage Free, or higher

All statutory towns become at least ODF+

All statutory towns with less than 1 lakh population become at least ODF++

At least 50% of all statutory towns with less than 1 lakh population become Water+

The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), a central sector scheme of the Government of India, was launched on 21st January 2015 with the aim of bringing together urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation in an inclusive manner & with the objective of preserving the heritage character of the City.

Under the Scheme, twelve cities namely, Ajmer, Amritsar, Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi Velankanni, Warangal have been identified for development. The mission period of HRIDAY scheme ended on 31st March, 2019.

The Scheme has supported development of core heritage linked civic infrastructure projects which includes revitalization of urban infrastructure for areas around heritage, religious, cultural and tourism assets of the cities.

These initiatives include development of water supply, sanitation, drainage, waste management, approach roads, footpaths, street lights, tourist conveniences, electricity wiring, landscaping and such citizen services.

The North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme (NERUDP)has been teken up by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) with the financial assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB). ADB contribution is 70% of the cost as loan to the Government of India.

The scheme is being implemented in the capital cities of 5 North Eastern States viz. Agartala (Tripura), Aizawl (Mizoram), Gangtok (Sikkim), and Kohima (Nagaland) covering priority urban services viz. (i) Water Supply, (ii) Sewerage and Sanitation, and (iii) Solid Waste Management besides capacity building, institutional and financial reforms at an estimated cost of Rs 1371 crore.

The projects under the NERUDP scheme have been spread over three Tranches and are under execution in the project cities since 2009. These projects have been planned for completion by June, 2019.

Funds are released by the Ministry to the participating States on reimbursement basis in the ratio of 90% grant and 10% loan.

National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MHUPA), Government of India in 23rd September, 2013 by replacing the existing Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).

The NULM will focus on organizing urban poor in their strong grassroots level institutions, creating opportunities for skill development leading to market-based employment and helping them to set up self-employment venture by ensuring easy access to credit.

The Mission is aimed at providing shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner. In addition, the Mission would also address livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors.

The Main Features of NULM are: Coverage: In the 12th Five Year Plan, NULM will be implemented in all districts headquarter towns(irrespective of population) and all other towns with population of 1 lakh or more as per Census 2011. At present 790 cities are under NULM. However, other towns may be allowed in exceptional cases on request of the States.

Target Population: The primary target of NULM is the urban poor, including the urban homeless.

Sharing of funding: Funding will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 75:25. For North Eastern and Special Category States (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), this ratio will be 90:10.

Guiding Principles: The core belief of National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is that the poor are entrepreneurial and have innate desire to come out of poverty. The challenge is to unleash their capabilities to generate meaningful and sustainable livelihoods.

The first step in this process is motivating the urban poor to form their own institutions. They and their institutions need to be provided sufficient capacity so that they can manage the external environment, access finance, expand their skills, enterprises and assets.

This requires continuous and carefully designed hand holding support. An external, dedicated and sensitive support structure, from the national level to the city and community levels, is required to induce social mobilisation, institution building and livelihood promotion.

NULM believes that any livelihood promotion programme can be scaled up in a time bound manner only if driven by the poor and their institutions.

Such strong institutional platforms support the poor in building up their own human, social, financial, and other assets. This in turn,enables them access to rights, entitlements, opportunities and services from the public and private sectors, while enhancing their solidarity, voice and bargaining power.

As per the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992, urban poverty alleviation is a legitimate function of the Urban Local Bodies (ULB). Therefore, ULBs would need to undertake a lead role for all issues and programmes concerning the urban poor in cities/towns, including skills and livelihoods.

NULM would aim at universal coverage of the urban poor for skill development and credit facilities. It will strive for skills training of the urban poor for market-based jobs and self-employment,facilitating easy access to credit.

Street vendors constitute an important segment of the urban population at the bottom of the pyramid.Street vending provides a source of self-employment, and thus acts as a measure of urban poverty alleviation without major Government intervention.

They have a prominent place in the urban supply chain and are an integral part of the economic growth process within urban areas.

NULM would aim at facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills to the urban street vendors for accessing emerging market opportunities.Urban homeless persons who live without shelter or social security/ protection are the most vulnerable class, even while they contribute towards sustaining cities with their cheap labour.

Life on the streets involves surviving continuously at the edge, in a physically brutalized and challenging environment. There is a need for appropriate policy intervention to address the challenges faced by homeless people, with regard to shelter, social housing and social protection. Accordingly, NULM would aim at providing shelter equipped with essential services to the urban homeless in a phased manner.

NULM would place a very high emphasis on convergence with schemes/programmes of the relevant line Ministries/Departments and programmes of state governments dealing with skills, livelihoods, entrepreneurship development, health, education, social assistance, etc.

An alliance strategy will be sought with all concerned departments to promote skills training of rural-urban migrants as a bridge between the livelihoods of the rural and urban poor.

NULM would aim at partnership with the private sector in providing skill training, employment and operation of shelter for homeless.

It will strive for active participation of private and civil society sectors in providing shelter to the urban homeless, skill training and placement of the urban poor and also in facilitating technological, marketing and hand holding support for the urban poor entrepreneurs who want to be self-employed and set up their own small businesses or manufacturing units.

Values: The mission will espouse the following values:

Ownership and productive involvement of the urban poor and their institutions in all processes;

Transparency in programme design and implementation, including institution building and capacity strengthening;

Accountability of government functionaries and the community;

Partnerships with industry and other stakeholders; and

Community self-reliance, self-dependence, self-help and mutual-help.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), a flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched on 25th June 2015.

The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022, when Nation completes 75 years of its Independence.

PMAY(U) adopts a demand driven approach wherein the Housing shortage is decided based on demand assessment by States/Union Territories.

State Level Nodal Agencies (SLNAs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ Implementing Agencies (IAs), Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) and Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) are main stakeholders who play an important role in implementation and success of PMAY(U).

The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations.

All houses under PMAY(U) have basic amenities like toilet, water supply, electricity and kitchen.

The Mission promotes women empowerment by providing the ownership of houses in name of female member or in joint name.

Preference is also given to differently abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, Minority, single women, transgender and other weaker & vulnerable sections of the society.

A PMAY(U) house ensures dignified living along with sense of security and pride of ownership to the beneficiaries.

PMAY(U) adopts a cafeteria approach to suit the needs of individuals based on the geographical conditions, topography, economic conditions, availability of land, infrastructure etc. The scheme has hence been divided into four verticals as given below:

Central Assistance of Rs. 1 lakh per house is admissible for all houses built for eligible slum dwellers under the component of ISSR using land as Resource with participation of private developers.

After redevelopment, de-notification of slums by State/UT Government is recommended under the guidelines.

Flexibility is given to States/Cities to deploy this Central Assistance for other slums being redeveloped.

States/Cities provide additional FSI/FAR or TDR to make projects financially viable.

For slums on private owned land, States/Cities provide additional FSI/FAR or TDR to land owner as per its policy.

No Central Assistance is admissible in such case.

Beneficiaries of Economically Weaker Section (EWS)/Low Income Group (LIG), Middle Income Group (MIG)-I and Middle Income Group (MIG)-II seeking housing loans from Banks, Housing Finance Companies and other such institutions for acquiring, new construction or enhancement* of houses are eligible for an interest subsidy of 6.5%, 4% and 3% on loan amount upto Rs. 6 Lakh, Rs. 9 Lakh and Rs. 12 Lakh respectively.

The Ministry has designated Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), National Housing Bank (NHB) and State Bank of India (SBI) as Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) to channelize this subsidy to the beneficiaries through lending institutions and for monitoring the progress.

The scheme for MIG category has been extended upto 31st March, 2021.

The CLAP portal has significantly contributed towards streamlining processes under CLSS vertical which has also facilitated the Ministry in reducing in grievances.

Under AHP, Central Assistance of Rs. 1.5 Lakh per EWS house is provided by the Government of India. An affordable housing project can be a mix of houses for different categories but it will be eligible for Central Assistance, if at least 35% of the houses in the project are for EWS category.

The States/UTs decide on an upper ceiling on the sale price of EWS houses with an objective to make them affordable and accessible to the intended beneficiaries. State and cities also extend other concessions such as their State share, land at affordable cost, stamp duty exemption etc.

Central Assistance upto Rs. 1.5 lakh per EWS house is provided to eligible families belonging to EWS categories for individual house construction/ enhancement.

The Urban Local Bodies validate the information and building plan submitted by the beneficiary so that ownership of land and other details like economic status and eligibility can be ascertained.

Central Assistance, along with State/UT/ ULB share, if any, is released to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) by States/UTs.

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reverse migration of urban migrants/ poor in the country. Urban migrants stay in slums/ informal settlements/ unauthorised colonies/ peri-urban areas to save cost on housing.

They need decent rental housing at affordable rate at their work sites. In order to address this need, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has initiated Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U). This will provide ease of living to urban migrants/ poor in Industrial Sector as well as in non-formal urban economy to get access to dignified affordable rental housing close to their workplace.

The ARHC scheme will be implemented through two models:

i. Utilizing existing Government funded vacant houses to convert into ARHCs through Public Private Partnership or by Public Agencies

ii. Construction, Operation and Maintenance of ARHCs by Public/ Private Entities on their own vacant land

3Incentives will be provided to public/ private entities by Central/ State Government for developing & operating ARHCs which will include additional FAR/FSI, Income tax and GST exemption, Single window approval within 30 days, Project finance at lower interest rate, Trunk infrastructure till project site, Municipal services at residential rates and Use permission changes for houses for the vacant land.

Beneficiaries for ARHCs are urban migrants/ poor from EWS/LIG categories comprising of street vendors, rickshaw pullers and other service providers, industrial workers along with migrants working with market/ trade associations, educational/ health institutions, hospitality sector, long term tourists/ visitors, students or any other category. ARHCs will be a mix of single/ double bedroom Dwelling Units and Dormitory of 4/6 beds including all common facilities and will be exclusively used for rental housing for a minimum period of 25 years.

MoHUA has provisioned for an additional grant in the form of Technology Innovation Grant (TIG) under TSM for the project using innovative & alternate technology for speedier, sustainable, resource efficient and disaster resilient construction. TIG of Rs. 1,00,000/- per dwelling unit in case of double bedroom (upto 60 sqm carpet area), Rs. 60,000/- per Dwelling Unit (upto 30 sqm carpet area) in case of single bedroom and Rs. 20,000 per Dormitory Bed (upto 10 sqm carpet area) shall be released by MoHUA to entities through BMTPC.

TIG will be applicable only for projects using innovative and alternate technologies and sanctioned during the PMAY(U) Mission period (March 2022) and completed within 18 months after getting all statutory approvals.

The ARHCs will ensure a dignified living environment for urban migrants/poor close to their workplaces at affordable rates. This will unlock existing vacant housing stock and make them available in urban space.

It will propel new investment opportunities and promote entrepreneurship in rental housing sector by encouraging Public/Private Entities to efficiently utilize their vacant land available for developing ARHCs.

A comprehensive and Robust MIS System is in place that helps all stakeholders to seamlessly manage information pertaining to physical and financial progress.

The MIS allows submitting on-line demand survey with tracking facility and helps in housekeeping of various records through digitisation such as Survey, Project information, Beneficiary details, fund utilisation etc.

The MIS is equipped with Geo-tagging features and integrated with BHUVAN Portal of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and BHARAT MAP of National Informatics Centre (NIC) for monitoring the progress of construction of houses under the BLC and projects under AHP and ISSR verticals.

The MIS has also been integrated with UMANG Mobile App, NITI Aayog Dashboard and DBT Bharat Portal for dissemination of information.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): The transfer of the Central Assistance and State/ULB share to the beneficiaries of BLC vertical of the Mission is being done by States/ULBs through DBT mode where the instalments are credited directly into the beneficiary’s bank account as per construction stage completed and geo-tagged.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs emerges as No. 1 in the ranking evaluated by DBT Mission for 2019-20.

CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP): A web based monitoring system, CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP) is a common platform where all stakeholders i.e. MoHUA, Central Nodal Agencies, Primary Lending Institutions, Beneficiaries and Citizens are integrated in real time environment.

The portal facilitates processing of applications along with tracking of subsidy status by beneficiaries. CLSS tracker has also been incorporated in PMAY(U) mobile App and UMANG platform.

Capacity Building Under PMAY(U) A total of 5% of allocation under the scheme is earmarked for Capacity Building, Information Education & Communication (IEC) and Administrative & Other Expenses (A&OE) under PMAY (U).

Allocation available under the Capacity Building head is being utilised for carrying out various activities required for effective implementation of Mission. Illustrative activities under the Capacity Building head include the following ten components:

5Aligning to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to address issues that arise from life transformation after moving into pucca houses, ANGIKAAR- campaign for change management was launched on 29th August 2019.

The campaign focuses on adopting best practices such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, sanitation and hygiene for PMAY(U) beneficiaries through community mobilization and IEC activities.

PMAY(U) had converged with various Urban Missions of MoHUA and schemes of other Central Ministries like Health & Family Welfare, Jal Shakti, Environment Forest & Climate Change, New & Renewable Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Power, Youth Affairs & Sports and Women & Child Development.

The campaign was formally launched on 2nd October, 2019, commemorating 150th Gandhi Jayanti in more than 4,000 cities wherein need assessment is conducted along with door to door awareness for change management.

Subsequently, this is followed by continuous and consistent ward level IEC activities in States/ UTs which includes key messages of FIT India (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports) and Poshan Abhiyan (Ministry of Women & Child Development) with active participation of sportspersons/ personalities, youth clubs, educational institutions, FIT India Plogging events and orientation/ awareness drives/ health camps respectively.

Technology Sub Mission (TSM) In order to have an integrated approach for comprehensive technical & financial evaluation of emerging and proven building materials & technologies, their standardisation, developing specifications and code of practices, evolving necessary tendering process, capacity building and creating appropriate delivery mechanism, MoHUA has set up a Technology Sub-Mission under PMAY(U) with the Mission statement as ‘Sustainable Technological Solutions for Faster and Cost Effective Construction of Houses suiting to Geo-Climatic and Hazard Conditions of the Country’.

TSM facilitates adoption of modern, innovative and green technologies and building materials for faster and quality construction of houses. TSM also facilitates preparation and adoption of layout designs and building plans suitable for various geo-climatic zones.

It also assists States/Cities in deploying disaster resistant and environment-friendly technologies. A total of 33 Alternate Technologies have been identified. Around 15 Lakh houses are being constructed using alternate technologies pan India.

6MoHUA has initiated the Global Housing Technology Challenge - India (GHTC-India) which aims to identify and mainstream a basket of innovative construction technologies from across the globe for housing construction sector that are sustainable, eco-friendly and disaster-resilient.

They are to be cost effective and speedier while enabling the quality construction of houses, meeting diverse geo-climatic conditions and desired functional needs. Future technologies will also be supported to foster an environment of research and development in the country.

GHTC- India aspires to develop an eco-system to deliver on the technological challenges of the housing construction sector in a holistic manner.

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India inaugurated the Construction Technology India- 2019, a global Expo-cum-Conference, which was organized on 2-3 March 2019 in New Delhi. 60 Exhibitors with 54 proven technologies from 25 countries showcased their technologies in the Expo. Prime Minister declared the year 2019-20 as the 'Construction Technology Year'.

Under Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators- India (ASHA-India) initiative, incubation and acceleration support is provided to potential future technologies that are not yet market ready (pre-prototype applicants) or to the technologies that are market ready (post prototype applicants).

The ASHA-India Centres will also help in developing design guidelines, construction manuals and other necessary guidelines, relevant for effective use of such technologies in the region. ASHA-India Centres are to be set up at five host institutions: IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Roorkee and CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat.

72 potential future technologies (domestic) have been identified through the challenge which will be shortlisted for providing support under ASHA-India.

7The Light House projects(LHPs), to be developed under GHTC India, will serve as live laboratories for different aspects of transfer of technology to the field.

This includes planning, design, production of components, construction practices and testing for both faculty and students of IITs/ NITs/ Engineering colleges/ Planning and Architecture colleges, builders, professionals of private and public sectors and other relevant stakeholders.

GHTC India ushered a paradigm shift in the construction technology to transform the eco-system of housing construction.

For use of innovative technology in construction, the Ministry has introduced a Technology Innovation Grant as an additional grant of Rs. 4.0 Lakh per house over and above the existing share of Rs 1.5 lakh per house under PMAY(U) for LHPs.

The LHPs are being implemented in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh to demonstrate the innovative construction technologies which are cost-effective, green and sustainable.

I. Demonstration Housing Projects (DHPS) - In order to showcase the field application of new emerging technologies, MoHUA has taken an initiative to construct Demonstration Housing through Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC).

A DHP provides on-site orientation to practitioners in the housing sector with knowledge on the application and use of alternate technology.

Each DHP contains up to 40 Houses with sustainable, cost and time effective emerging alternate housing construction technologies suitable to the geo-climatic and hazardous conditions of the region.

Such DHPs have been completed in Bhubaneshwar, Bihar Sharif, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Nellore and are under pipeline in Agartala, Panchkula, Goa and Hyderabad.

India is witnessing rapid urbanisation. According to Census 2011, about 377 million people comprising 31.14% of the total population lived in urban areas.

The urban population is projected to grow to about 600 million by 2031.

While cities are engines of growth, they also contribute to more than 70% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

There has been a perceptible increase in number as well as intensity of extreme weather events in recent times in India, which can be directly attributed to climate change.

India has unique geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions, and is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to rising sea levels, floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides, avalanches, storms, and heat waves.

Indian cities are especially susceptible to the effects of climate change due to limited access to basic services, infrastructure, livelihood, and health.

It is estimated that India will experience a decline of about 2-6% in its GDP under the carbon-intensive scenario by 2050, which could pose a serious threat to its development goals and investments.

National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in 2008, outlines multi-pronged, long term strategies to address climate change and its impacts.

As a part of NAPCC, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH) aims at (i) Promoting low-carbon urban growth towards reducing GHG emissions intensity for achieving India’s NDC, and (ii) Building resilience of cities to climate change impacts and strengthening their capacities to ‘bounce back better’ from climate related extreme events and disaster risks.

The first version of NMSH released in 2010 has now been revised in the context of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and New Urban Agenda (NUA).

“Sustainable Habitat” is defined in NMSH 2.0 as “an approach towards a balanced and sustainable development of the ecosystem of habitat which offers adequate shelter with basic services, infrastructure, livelihood opportunities along with environmental and socio-economic safety including equality, inclusiveness and disaster-resilience”.

The revised NMSH has identified five thematic areas, namely (i) Energy and Green Building, (ii) Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity, (iii) Mobility and Air Quality, (iv) Water Management, and (v) Waste Management.

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies to facilitate the development of sustainable habitat have also been recommended under each thematic area.

The first thematic area “Energy and Green Buildings” focuses on reducing the energy consumption for lighting, heating, and cooling, etc. in India’s real estate sector and shifting to cleaner renewable energy sources through adoption of green building technologies.

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies recommended under this area include undertaking energy audit of all municipal services, including water supply, sewage, and storm water management on an annual basis and promoting renewable energy, and 100% installation of energy-efficient streetlights.

The second thematic area on “Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity” lays emphasis on integrated urban and regional planning approaches to climate-sensitive development and preservation and rejuvenation of water bodies, green spaces, and eco-sensitive areas.

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies include mapping of all eco-sensitive zones, biodiversity rich areas, natural assets in the city, and promoting maintenance of green cover using an ecological approach, specifically focusing on native tree species and sustaining urban biodiversity.

The third thematic area on “Mobility and Air Quality” highlights the need to formulate and implement strategies focusing on inclusive and multi-modal mobility options in order to arrest the rapid growth of private motor vehicles, which has led to traffic congestion and increasing air pollution levels in metro cities.

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies recommended under this thematic area include adopting cleaner and environment-friendly technologies, such as Electric Vehicles (EVs), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), biofuels, etc. and creating incentives to attract and enable public-private partnership (PPP) in setting up charging infrastructure, shared mobility, first and last-mile connectivity and the use of clean renewable energy sources.

EThe fourth thematic area on “Water Management” lays emphasis on augmenting existing water resources by adopting rain-water harvesting (RWH), rejuvenation of waterbodies, recycling/ reuse of treated sewage, water conservation, and promoting circular economy of water through development of City Water Balance Plan (CWBP).

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies recommended include publishing Rapid Flood Risk Assessment Report to understand the reasons of flooding/water stagnation as well as flooding/water stagnation hotspots in the city, implementing an end to-end urban flood early warning system, efficient distribution of piped water supply, and encouraging 100% recovery of Operation and Maintainance (O&M) charges by water supply authorities and wastewater management.

The fifth thematic area on “Waste Management” focuses on the need for cities to prioritise actions for waste reduction and waste management, and promote waste to-energy and waste-to-compost plants.

Key mitigation and adaptation strategies include segregating waste and 3R (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) principles for better waste management, and facilitating setting up Material Recovery Facility (MRF) with provision for sorting recyclables and facility for sorting SCF Segregated Combustible Fractions/Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF) as per the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016 in cities with over 0.5 million population.

NMSH 2.0 also lists out enabling climate actions, which are intended to address the overarching framework to facilitate adoption and implementation of the sector-wise climate action strategies mentioned above.

These include strategies pertaining to Urban Governance, Capacity Building, Data, Technology and Innovation for the mission.

ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF), a first-of-its-kind assessment framework with 28 climate-relevant parameters across the five thematic areas, will serve as a tool for cities to assess their present situation vis-à-vis objectives and targets of NMSH 2.0.

The implementation period of NMSH 2.0 is from 2020- 21 till 2030.

The goals of NMSH 2.0 are envisaged to be achieved through various other Missions and programmes of MoHUA, which are already being financed through budgetary and extra-budgetary resources