Gujarat announces ₹500 cr for 'Wire Free City Mission' initiative

The Gujarat Government announced a ₹500 crore 'Wire Free City Mission' to move power lines underground in cities. It also allocated ₹650 crore for the 'Mukhyamantri Nirmal Gram Yojana' to improve rural sanitation and public health.

The Gujarat Government on Thursday announced a new provision of ₹500 crore to convert overhead power networks into underground cable networks in Municipal Corporations and Municipalities under the "Gujarat Wire Free City Mission".

According to the Gujarat CMO, this decision was taken keeping in view the development of the State and the rising electricity demand of citizens. It has become extremely essential to maintain a continuous, safe, and high-quality power supply.

The Gujarat CMO said that through this initiative, uninterrupted and reliable electricity supply will be continuously ensured to citizens of the state as well as to essential services such as hospitals, health centres, water supply systems, bus stations, police stations, etc. This initiative will reduce power disruptions.

A safer and more reliable electricity supply will be ensured in densely populated urban areas. This mission will also greatly help in preventing electrical accidents caused by open wires. It will move Gujarat forward as a more well-organised and smart urban state.

An important step has been taken to make the state Commonwealth and Olympic-ready, under which all Municipal Corporations and Municipalities will be converted into "Wire-Free Cities" in a phased manner, said the Gujarat CMO.

Mukhyamantri Nirmal Gram Yojana for Rural Sanitation

Earlier, the Gujarat Panchayat Department's Mukhyamantri Nirmal Gram Yojana currently operational in 667 villages spanning 21 talukas across 12 districts, has allocated a budget of Rs. 650 crore, said the release.

According to the release, the scheme focuses on qualitative improvement in sanitation and public health across rural areas. Gram Panchayats shall appoint an agency for door-to-door waste collection and cleaning of public places, ensure that the collected waste is disposed of at the designated dumping site, and the concerned taluka shall appoint an agency to collect such accumulated waste from each village and transport it to the nearest municipality or municipal corporation processing unit (dumping site).

The scheme is operational in urban authorities such as RUDA, GUDA, and VUDA. The primary objective is to raise the level of cleanliness in rural areas and improve public health. Incentives for the repair and maintenance of assets and vehicles are available under the Swachh Bharat Mission. (ANI)

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