(a) whether the Government proposes to take any steps for the development of rural villages as ‘Smart Villages’ in the line of ‘Smart Cities’ project;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the roadmap envisaged by the Government for the development of villages as ‘Smart Villages’?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)
(a) to (c) Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has, as such, no proposal for the development of ‘Smart Villages’ in the line of ‘Smart Cities’ project being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in cooperation & collaboration with different State Governments. However, to improve the economic ability, livability and sustainability through optimum utilization of local resources in collaboration with different States and Union Territories (UTs), Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) was launched on 21st February, 2016 for development of 300 ‘Rurban Clusters’ as economic growth centres in rural areas having locational and comparative advantage. ‘Rurban Cluster’ is a cluster of geographically contiguous 5-15 villages. Mission covers 300 such rurban cluster with 2857 Gram Panchayats in 28 States and 6 UTs.
The ultimate objective of the Mission is to stimulate local economic development, enhance basic services and create well-planned Rurban clusters of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature. The Mission supports the states & UTs in providing upto 30% of Critical Gap Fund to incentivize 70% or more of remaining fund through convergence of budget and resources available under schemes/programmes of different Central Sector, Centrally Sponsored and State government run schemes.
To meet the above objectives, the Mission has 21 components under implementation for provisioning facilities, including modern amenities supported by smart technology, to bridge the rural-urban divide. Some of the important modern amenities being provided under SPMRM include creation of smart classroom, WiFi hotspots, Citizen Service Centres, Solid and Liquid Waste Treatment Plants, Solar Water Pumps, Water ATMs, e-Rickshaw, Digital Library, etc. The list of 21 components is at Annexure 1.
*******
Annexure 1
The following are the twenty-one (21) desirable components under the Framework of Implementation (FOI) of the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission are:
1. Piped Water Supply
2. Sanitation
3. Solid and Liquid waste management
4. Access to village streets with drains
5. Village street lights and electrifications
6. Inter-village roads connectivity
7. Public transport
8. LPG gas connection
9. Skill development training linked to economic activities
10. Agri-service processing & allied activities
11. Education
12. Health
13. Digital Literacy
14. Citizen Service Centres
15. Environment
16. Employment Generation & SHG Formation
17. Tourism Promotion
18. Sports Infrastructure
19. Social Infrastructure
20. Rural Housing
21. Social Welfare
********