NEW DELHI: After casting aside the UPA-era urban reforms agenda, the Narendra Modi government has reworked its own urban development agenda. Barely one-and-a-half years after it initiated Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the urban development ministry has set aside its 28-point urban reforms plan and asked states to concentrate on a new set of five transformative reforms. 

From concentrating on micro reforms like online collection of advertisement tax, pensions, payroll and eprocurement, the urban local bodies would now shift to a new regime. 

These would include trust-and-verify approach to birth and death certificates, credit rating, land titling laws, framing value capture financing policies and establishment of a dedicated municipal cadre. Apart from two reforms – credit rating and municipal cadre – the remaining three are new approaches. 

Speaking to ET, secretary (urban development) Rajiv Gauba said, “Most of the reforms under AMRUT – about 70% -- had to be completed by 2016-17 and the rest of the reforms in 2017-18. In any case, the reform agenda had to be revisited for the remaining time period. 

Many reforms (which were part of AMRUT) are being pursued under different schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission or Digital India.” 

....