Atal Mission For Rejuvenation And Urban Transformation 2026

The AMRUT scheme aims to provide essential urban services like tap water, sewerage, and better transport to Read More... households, thereby enhancing the quality of life in Indian cities, especially for the less privileged. Read less

Details

Navigating urban life can be challenging, and the Indian government's Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is here to make it smoother for residents in selected cities across the country.

What Is The AMRUT Scheme?

AMRUT is a government initiative focused on improving the lives of people in urban areas. Its main goal is to ensure that every home has access to clean tap water and a proper sewerage connection. Beyond these essentials, the mission also looks at making cities more pleasant by developing green spaces and parks, and by promoting cleaner ways to travel, like public transport and walking/cycling paths. This helps reduce pollution and makes cities more livable.

Who Benefits From AMRUT?

The AMRUT scheme specifically targets 500 cities chosen across India. These include all cities with a population over one lakh (as per the 2011 Census), capital cities of states and union territories not already covered, heritage cities identified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and some towns with populations between 75,000 and one lakh, plus a few special selections from hill states and islands.

Why AMRUT Is Important

This scheme is a priority for the nation because it directly addresses the need for basic amenities in urban centres. By focusing on fundamental services, AMRUT aims to upgrade the urban infrastructure, reduce the burden on households, and make cities more sustainable and enjoyable places to live for everyone.

Objective

The AMRUT scheme aims to provide essential urban services like tap water, sewerage, and better transport to households, thereby enhancing the quality of life in Indian cities, especially for the less privileged.

Benefits

The components of the AMRUT consist of capacity building, reform implementation, water supply, sewerage and septage management, storm water drainage, urban transport and development of green spaces and parks. During the process of planning, the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will strive to include some smart features in the physical infrastructure components.The details of the Mission components are given below.Water Supply

Water supply systems including augmentation of existing water supply, water treatment plants and universal metering.

Rehabilitation of old water supply systems, including treatment plants.

Rejuvenation of water bodies specifically for drinking water supply and recharging of ground water.

Special water supply arrangement for difficult areas, hill and coastal cities, including those having water quality problems (e.g. arsenic, fluoride)

Sewerage

Decentralised, networked underground sewerage systems, including augmentation of existing sewerage systems and sewage treatment plants.

Rehabilitation of old sewerage system and treatment plants.

Recycling of water for beneficial purposes and reuse of wastewater.

Septage

Faecal Sludge Management- cleaning, transportation and treatment in a cost-effective manner.

Mechanical and biological cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and recovery of operational cost in full.

Storm Water Drainage

Construction and improvement of drains and storm water drains in order to reduce and eliminate flooding.

Urban Transport

Ferry vessels for inland waterways (excluding port/bay infrastructure) and buses.

Footpaths/walkways, sidewalks, foot over-bridges and facilities for non-motorised transport (e.g. bicycles).

Multi-level parking.

Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS).

Green space and parks

Development of green space and parks with special provision for child-friendlycomponents.

Reforms management & support

Support structures, activities and funding support for reform implementation.

Independent Reform monitoring agencies.

Capacity Building

This has two components- individual and institutional capacity building.

The capacity building will not be limited to the Mission Cities, but will be extended to other ULBs as well.

Continuation of the Comprehensive Capacity Building Programme (CCBP) after its realignment towards the new Missions.

Indicative (not exhaustive) list of inadmissible components

Purchase of land for projects or project related works,

Staff salaries of both the State Governments/ULBs,

Power,

Telecom,

Health,

Education, and

Wage employment programme and staff component.

Sources and references

Scheme Guidelines

Who Can Apply for AMRUT?

AMRUT is a mission-driven scheme focused on improving urban infrastructure in specific cities, rather than an individual application-based scheme. Therefore, there isn't a direct application process for citizens. The scheme focuses on improving services within the 500 selected cities. If you reside in one of these 500 cities, you stand to benefit from the improvements undertaken by the government under AMRUT.

Selected Cities: 500 cities across India have been identified for development under the AMRUT Mission.

How AMRUT Works

AMRUT is not a scheme that individuals apply for directly. Instead, it's a national mission where the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) works with selected Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in 500 cities to plan and implement infrastructure projects. The mission focuses on upgrading basic services within these cities.

Projects are identified and planned by the ULBs in coordination with State Governments, aligning with the mission's objectives and guidelines. You can find more details about the mission's framework and implementation on the official website.

Official Website: For more information, please visit the AMRUT official portal.

Since AMRUT is a city-focused development mission and not a scheme for direct individual application, there are no specific documents required from citizens for this mission. The focus is on government-led infrastructure development within the selected 500 cities.

FAQ’s

How can I find out if my city is part of the 500 cities selected for AMRUT?

You can easily check the list of cities covered under the AMRUT Mission by visiting the official website. The mission provides a dedicated section to view the map and list of selected cities. You can find it at: http://amrut.gov.in/content/citiescovered_map.php

What's the priority for projects in water supply and sewerage?

The highest priority is given to achieving universal coverage for water supply. Following that, the next top priority is ensuring every household gets a sewerage connection.

Can consultants be hired by the local bodies to help prepare project plans?

Yes, local urban bodies have the flexibility to decide whether to hire consultants for preparing their project plans (SLIP). The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) also offers support and has simplified the process for preparing these plans.

What if my city's local body depends heavily on state government funds? How will they contribute their share for AMRUT?

State governments are required to contribute a minimum of 20% to the projects. There is no upper limit on the state's share. States and local bodies can decide on the financial contributions based on the guidelines, which detail these aspects in paragraphs 7.4 and 7.5.

Is there a limit on the cost of projects that local bodies can propose for their city plans?

While there's no strict upper limit on project costs, local bodies must ensure their proposals align with the mission's national priorities and guidelines. Key objectives like universal water and sewerage coverage should be central to their planning.

When should old pipes be replaced under AMRUT?

Replacing old pipes is considered only when it leads to a reduction in non-revenue water (NRW) for water supply or an improvement in the efficiency of collecting wastewater for sewerage systems.

Does the scheme provide a separate budget for city and state mission management units?

The AMRUT Mission primarily focuses on the 500 designated cities. Additionally, 10% of the annual budget is set aside as an incentive for States/UTs achieving reform targets. This incentive fund is meant to be used within the Mission Cities for admissible AMRUT components, reflecting the joint efforts of ULBs and State Governments.

Can the reform incentives be given to local bodies outside of AMRUT cities?

No, the AMRUT Mission specifically targets 500 cities. The incentive provided for achieving reforms is earmarked for use within these Mission Cities on eligible AMRUT projects, stemming from the collaborative efforts of the ULBs and State Governments.

Is capacity building training available for local body staff from cities not covered by AMRUT?

The capacity building component of AMRUT is designed to train approximately 45,000 personnel, mainly from the Mission Cities. Currently, the focus is primarily on personnel from these designated AMRUT cities.