PM inaugurates Transformation of Urban Scenario Conference-cum-Expo in Lucknow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Azadi-75- New Urban India: Transforming Urban Scenario Conference-cum-Expo in Lucknow today. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Hardeep Puri, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Kaushal Kishor, Uttar Pradesh Governor Mati Anandiben Patel and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were also present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister digitally handed over the keys of houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) to 75 thousand beneficiaries of 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. He also interacted with the beneficiaries of the scheme in Uttar Pradesh through virtual medium. He inaugurated / laid the foundation stone of 75 urban development projects of Uttar Pradesh under Smart City Mission and AMRUT. Along with this, 75 buses under FAME-I were flagged off for seven cities including Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Jhansi and Ghaziabad. He also released a coffee-table book containing details of 75 projects implemented under various major missions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Prime Minister announced the establishment of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Chair at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow.
While talking to Vimlesh of Agra, the said beneficiary told the Prime Minister that he has benefited from the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Along with this, they have also benefited from schemes like gas cylinder, toilet, electricity, water connection and ration-card etc. The Prime Minister asked them to take advantage of government schemes and educate their children, especially their daughters.
Talking to Ram Janki ji of Kanpur, who sells milk, the Prime Minister asked whether he had got the benefit of the Swamitva scheme. Ram Janki ji told that he had taken a loan of 10 thousand and used it in his business. The Prime Minister asked them to increase their business through digital transactions.
The Prime Minister asked Mati Babita of Lalitpur, a beneficiary of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, about her livelihood and experience of the scheme. The Prime Minister said that Jan Dhan account helps in sending money directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries. He said that the poor people benefit the most from technology. The Prime Minister asked Mati Babita to take advantage of the Swamitva scheme. The Prime Minister interacted with all the beneficiaries very simply and intimately. The conversation took place in a very informal and casual atmosphere.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that most of the properties are in the name of the men of the house. Keeping this in view, under the need to take concrete steps, 80 percent of the houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are being registered in the name of women or they are joint owners thereof.
The Prime Minister said that Lucknow has given a visionary in the form of Atal ji to the nation dedicated to Mother Bharati. He announced that today in his memory, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Peeth is being established in Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University.
The Prime Minister said that there has been a huge increase in the number of houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana as compared to earlier. He told that our government has approved the construction of more than 1 crore 13 lakh houses in cities under PM Awas Yojana. Out of this, more than 50 lakh houses have been built and handed over to the poor. The Prime Minister said that my friends, who lived in a slum, did not have a pucca roof, three crore such families have got the opportunity to become lakhpatis. Modi said, “Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, about 3 crore houses have been built in the country, you can guess the cost of them. These people have become lakhpatis. The Prime Minister said that before the present government in UP, the earlier governments dragged their feet to implement the schemes, as more than 18000 houses were sanctioned, but at that time there were 18 houses. was not even built. He also informed that after the present government of Yogi Adityanath came to power, more than 9 lakh housing units were handed over to the urban poor and 14 lakh units are in various stages of construction. These houses are equipped with modern facilities.
The Prime Minister emphasized that our government has made significant efforts to overcome the problems and challenges of the urban middle class. The Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Act has been one such big step. This law has gone a long way in weaning the entire housing sector out of mistrust and fraud and has helped and empowered all the stakeholders.
The Prime Minister said that by installing LED street lights, urban bodies are also saving about Rs 1000 crore every year. He said that now this amount is being used for other development works. He said that LED has also greatly reduced the electricity bill of the people living in the city.
The Prime Minister said that in the last 6-7 years, technology has brought a big change in the urban sector in India. He said that technology is the basis of the Integrated Command and Control Centers running in more than 70 cities of the country today. Commenting on a city famous for its culture, the Prime Minister said, “Today we have to say ‘Technology First’ – Technology First”.
The Prime Minister said that street vendors, street vendors are being linked with banks under PM Svanidhi Yojana. Through this scheme, more than Rs 2500 crore has been given to more than 25 lakh beneficiaries. In this also more than 7 lakh beneficiaries of UP have taken the benefit of Swanidhi Yojana. He appreciated the vendors for promoting digital transactions.
The Prime Minister said today that the India Metro service is expanding rapidly in major cities across the country. In the year 2014, metro service used to run on less than 250 km route length, today metro is running on about 750 km route length. He said that work on more than 1000 km of metro tracks is going on in the country.
