New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Manohar Lal, on Saturday emphasised that India’s urban transformation must be driven by sustainability, inclusivity and innovation.

He said that by 2047, Indian urban population will be around 50 per cent of total population and for them, all stakeholders will have to come together and huge investments not only from central and state governments but also from private players and individuals will help in achieving the dream of Viksit Bharat.

Towards this goal, initiatives like Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP), Urban Invest Window (UiWIN), and Knowledge Management Unit (KMU) will play a crucial role in building cleaner, greener, and more liveable cities, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat at 2047, he said while addressing the ‘National Urban Conclave 2025’ at Yashobhoomi here.

The minister launched DRAP which is a year-long, mission-mode initiative aimed at fast-tracking the remediation of remaining dumpsites across urban India.

The programme seeks to reclaim valuable urban land for community and infrastructure development, thereby advancing India’s vision of achieving “Lakshya Zero Dumpsites” by September 2026.

Currently, 1,428 sites are undergoing remediation, and about 80 per cent of the legacy waste is concentrated in 214 sites across 202 ULBs. DRAP will prioritise these high-impact locations, covering approximately 8.8 crore MT of legacy waste.

To support the goal of “Lakshya Zero Dumpsites” , the central government provides financial assistance to cities considering an estimate of Rs 550 per tonne for legacy waste remediation.

The minister also launched the Swachh Bharat Mission – Knowledge Management Unit (KMU).

The unit is established by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) as a dedicated unit at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), the KMU will serve as a national platform for capacity building, knowledge creation, and institutional learning under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban framework.

Another major initiative launched on the occasion was the Urban Invest Window (UiWIN) — an initiative of HUDCO, under the guidance of MoHUA.

UiWIN will serve as a one-stop investment facilitation platform for Indian cities, designed to attract private investments and enable access to long-tenor, concessional, and competitive financing from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

The platform will also promote PPP-based urban projects to accelerate sustainable infrastructure growth.

–IANS

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