India (Commonwealth Union)_ Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri asserted that India is spearheading the world’s largest and most extensive planned urbanization initiative. Speaking at the launch of CITIIS 2.0, the City Investments To Innovate, Integrate, and Sustain challenge, Minister Puri highlighted the remarkable tenfold surge in urban development investments since 2014, amounting to over Rs 18 lakh crore in comparison to the preceding decade. The challenge itself, as per the ministry, represents a substantial stride toward fulfilling India’s commitments to addressing climate change challenges.
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Minister Puri underscored the central government’s heightened emphasis on the growth and progress of urban areas. In addressing the quest for a circular economy in urban spaces, Puri outlined the government’s achievements under the Swachh Bharat Mission, detailing the establishment of biomethanation plants, waste-to-compost plants, waste-to-energy plants, material recovery facilities, construction and demolition waste management plants, and solid and liquid resource management plants.
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Highlighting the transformative progress made under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and its subsequent phase in ensuring water security for cities, Minister Puri emphasized that SBM-Urban 2.0 aims to render cities waste-free and remediate all legacy waste in the country. Positioning India as the leader in planned urbanization globally, Minister Puri cited the substantial tenfold increase in urban development investments since 2014. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been governing the country since 2014, succeeding the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which governed from 2004 to 2014.
In its official statement, the ministry noted that at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) in November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented India’s comprehensive five-point climate pledges, “panchamrit,” including the ambitious target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070. Aligning with this vision, the ministry has implemented various measures to address climate change through ongoing missions such as the Smart Cities Mission, the Swachh Bharat Mission, and AMRUT. CITIIS 2.0, in its overarching objective, aims to complement these climate initiatives through a unique model of action implemented across all levels of government.
