VIJAYAWADA: The government of Andhra Pradesh, in a bid to achieve the goal of clean water and sanitation and to make human settlements inclusive, safe and resilient, announced the allocation of Rs 8727.08 crore for the municipal administration and urban development department. The allocated budget for the same amounts to around 3.79 per cent of the total budget outlaid by the state government.
Rs 1000 crore have been allocated for the development of smart cities in the state in comparison to Rs 300 crore allocated in the last fiscal year. The state government notably allocated Rs 367.86 crore for AMRUT scheme, and Rs 300 crore for Andhra Pradesh Urban Water Supply and Septage Management Improvement Project. Additionally, Andhra Pradesh Township and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APTIDCO), which works on housing for economically weaker sections, was allocated an amount of Rs 226.18 crore in the budget. Municipal ward secretariats and municipal ward volunteers have been earmarked Rs 943 crore and Rs 395 crore respectively by the government.
Moreover, the budget allocated Rs 179 crore for construction of community toilets in urban local bodies under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Rs 80 crore for individual household lavatories. The government also set aside a total of Rs 85 crore for infrastructure development in grade-III municipalities and nagar panchayats, along with solid waste management projects.
Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh, noted that the government has also taken up Andhra Pradesh Urban Water Supply Project at a cost of Rs 5000 crore with the assistance of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with the aim to provide portable drinking water to 3.3 million residents in 50 urban local bodies in the state.