Urban Development Ministers Meet in Bhopal to Push Faster, Cleaner and More Inclusive City Growth

Bhopal, Dec 21 The third regional meeting of Urban Development Ministers from North-Central states was held in Bhopal on Saturday, bringing together leaders and officials to discuss how India’s cities can grow faster, cleaner and more inclusive. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal and focused on improving urban governance, speeding up major central schemes and building a shared roadmap for long-term urban development. Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister said that the vision of Viksit@2047—a developed India by the year 2047—can only be achieved when development reaches every household, village, town and city. He stressed that cities play a key role in the country’s economic and social progress and called for close coordination between the Centre and the States to ensure balanced and sustainable urban growth. According to him, teamwork rather than working in silos is the real “smart city” idea. The meeting was attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, ministers in charge of urban development from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and senior officials from these states and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Representatives from Delhi were also part of the regional consultation, which aimed to address common urban challenges faced by North-Central states. This Bhopal meeting was part of a series of regional consultations that began after the national meeting of Urban Development Ministers held in New Delhi in July. Earlier regional meetings were organised in Bengaluru in October and Hyderabad in November. These consultations are meant to regularly review progress, share best practices and ensure that decisions taken at the national level are implemented effectively on the ground. During the meeting, the Union Minister released the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 toolkit, which will guide cities in improving cleanliness, waste management and citizen participation. He also virtually launched seven new IT platforms developed by the Madhya Pradesh government to strengthen citizen-focused urban services. These digital platforms aim to make services faster, more transparent and easier for people to access. Reviewing the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban, the Minister highlighted the need for time-bound action, especially in cleaning up old garbage dumps. He urged states to speed up work under the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme and ensure proper implementation of initiatives like Swachh Shehar Jodi, which promotes collaboration between cities to improve cleanliness standards. Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), states were advised to focus on strong on-ground execution and long-term sustainability of water and sanitation projects. The Minister emphasised the reuse of treated wastewater and asked states to accelerate projects so that cities can achieve full coverage of tap water supply and sewerage systems. Housing was another key topic. The Minister reviewed progress under the Housing for All mission and stressed the importance of completing pending houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban. He also spoke about the rollout of PMAY 2.0 and encouraged states to ensure better occupancy of affordable housing projects. States were asked to help beneficiaries access home loans easily and to continue public awareness efforts under the Angikaar campaign until March 2026. Urban transport issues, including the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, expansion of metro rail networks and improving first- and last-mile connectivity, were also discussed. The aim is to make public transport more reliable and convenient, reducing traffic and pollution in growing cities. State ministers welcomed the Centre’s consultative approach and said such regional meetings help states learn from one another and move faster on reforms. Later in the day, the Union Minister flagged off a new metro line in Bhopal and took a metro ride from Subhash Nagar station to AIIMS station along with the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, underlining the government’s push for modern urban transport. Urban Development Ministers Meet in Bhopal to Push Faster, Cleaner and More Inclusive City Growth Bhopal hosted the third regional meeting of Urban Development Ministers from North-Central states on Saturday, bringing together leaders to discuss the future of India’s cities. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal and focused on improving urban governance, speeding up major government missions and building a shared roadmap for urban growth. Union Minister Manohar Lal said that the goal of Viksit@2047 can only be achieved when development reaches every household, city and state. He stressed that cities are key drivers of growth and that the Centre and States must work together to ensure inclusive and sustainable urban development. The meeting was attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, urban development ministers from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Representatives from Delhi were also part of the discussion. This regional meet followed earlier consultations held in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which were organised after the national meeting of Urban Development Ministers in New Delhi. During the meeting, the Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 toolkit was released to help cities improve cleanliness and waste management. The Union Minister also virtually launched seven new IT platforms by the Madhya Pradesh government to make urban services more citizen-friendly and transparent. Key schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban, AMRUT and Housing for All were reviewed. States were urged to clean up old garbage dumps, improve water and sewerage coverage, reuse treated wastewater and complete pending PMAY–Urban houses. The rollout of PMAY 2.0 and better access to home loans for beneficiaries were also discussed. Urban transport, including metro expansion and the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, was another focus area. Later, the Union Minister flagged off a new metro line in Bhopal and took a metro ride with the Chief Minister, highlighting the push for better public transport.