The Uttar Pradesh Government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on September 12, approved a proposal to implement the Aspirational City Scheme in the 100 most backward urban bodies of the State, with a population of 20,000 to one lakh. The State Government will adopt the approach of ‘3Cs’ – Convergence, Collaboration, and Competition.
Notably, the scheme aims to revamp the urban bodies by uniting the ongoing efforts of the central and State Governments, civil society organisations, CSR activities of corporate houses, and multilateral and bilateral development agencies.
It is worth noting that CM Yogi Adityanath has set an ambitious goal to make Uttar Pradesh a trillion-dollar economy, and cities have a significant role to play in achieving this. Therefore, the Government aims to harness the potential of smaller cities that have historically been overlooked in urban planning. This effort begins with the implementation of the Aspirational City Scheme.
Along with the Government schemes currently running in these urban bodies, the development projects will be implemented based on convergence, by seeking support from other institutions, including the central and State Governments.
The Aspirational Cities Program caters to cities with a population between 20,000 and 1,00,000 as per the 2011 census. Its aim is to encourage these smaller cities to contribute to the goal of achieving a trillion-dollar economy.
Notably, the journey from aspirational to inspirational cities will involve the collaborative efforts of every stakeholder involved in the process, while focusing on citizens, especially women.
A budget of Rs 100 crore was earmarked by the State Government for the Aspirational Cities Program in the financial year 2022-23 to achieve transformative progress in selected cities. This program offers a unique opportunity for each city to envision its future, enhance its economic capacity, and progress steadily towards sustainable development by preparing its own plans.
A total of 100 professionals will be appointed as CM Fellows in these 100 aspirational urban bodies. These professionals will be responsible for conducting in-depth research and data collection to develop evidence-based strategic plans with the local urban bodies. They will serve as guiding figures of the scheme and take the lead in implementing these plans.
Additionally, continuous monitoring and supervision will be carried out at the State level to ensure the effective implementation of the program. To encourage excellence among aspirational cities, they will be given various performance-based incentives for healthy collaboration and competition among them, and each city will also be provided with benchmarks to perform better.
Furthermore, the program will focus on essential urban governance and infrastructure, education, health, and socio-economic development areas, directly benefiting the urban citizens of Uttar Pradesh. Special attention will be paid to women entrepreneurs, creating economic opportunities.
(with inputs from ANI)
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