Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Welcoming Central government’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 and Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM) 2.0, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said that the state would be partnering with the government of India in implementation of these flagship missions. “I thank the Hon’ble PM for giving me this opportunity to share our experiences; Odisha will partner with the central government in the successful implementation of these flagship missions and work towards improving the liveability standards for our urban population,” Patnaik said. Underlining the wellbeing of citizens, Patnaik said that providing a safe and clean tap water supply to every household of every city in Odisha and achieving garbage-free clean cities in a time-bound manner is the state government’s top priority. Mentioning the implementation of the AMRUT mission, launched in 2015, in Odisha, Patnaik said, “It (AMRUT 2015) has brought substantial improvements in the urban water supply sector and septage management across nine major towns of the state.” Odisha has implemented water supply and septage projects with an investment of Rs 1600 crore. “With the successful implementation of the projects and urban reform measures under AMRUT, Odisha has been securing first position in the country consecutively for the last three years,” the Chief Minister said. Further, Patnaik informed that the state, to ensure tap water supply to all households in 114 cities, over and above the coverage of AMRUT mission, had initiated the BASUDHA initiative. “I am glad to share that so far 27 cities out of 114 cities achieved 100 per cent house connections, including Bhubaneswar city which has become the first and only million-plus city so far to achieve this status,” he said. The Chief Minister told that the state aims to achieve a target of 100 per cent house connections in all cities by December 2022. “In this ambitious journey, Jal Sathis, who are the Mission Sakthi members, are our community partners in managing the water supply distribution and consumer relationship,” he said. Taking of Odisha’s Drink from Tap mission under the 5T initiative, Patnaik said, “Under this Mission 24×7 water supply of directly drinkable from tap, meeting IS 10500 quality standards is being provided to all households of Jagannatha Dham at Puri.” “Puri city has become the first city in the country to achieve this unique distinction of joining the league of international cities like London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo,” he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 have been designed to realise the aspiration to make all our cities ‘Garbage Free’ and ‘Water Secure’.
