New Delhi: The Central government on Wednesday launched the 'City Beautification Competition' aiming to improve the quality of life and happiness of citizens.
"The City Beautification Competition has been designed and conceived by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to encourage and recognize the transformational efforts made by the cities and wards in India towards creating beautiful, innovative and inclusive public spaces," said Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
It is worth mentioning that many of the projects of another mega initiative of the Narendra Modi government-Smart City Project- are yet to be implemented in 100 smart cities across India.
Sources in the MoHUA told ETV Bharat that one of the major impediment, smart city projects are facing is financial crunch. "The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have been asked to mobilise fund availability," sources said. Officials, however, said that the City Beautification Competition does not have any connection with the smart city project.
"This competition (City Beautification Competition ) aims to open up opportunities for wards and cities to showcase their interventions towards creating beautiful public spaces. It would promote conservation of the rich traditions and cultural heritage of cities, create sustainable communities, usher in ecological conservation, while also boosting the local economy," said Puri.
Stating that participation in the City Beauty Competition is voluntary, Puri said that all wards and cities are encouraged to participate "as this would generate healthy competition amongst them, which also inculcate a sense of community ownership and pride."
MoHUA secretary Manoj Joshi said that the competition would facilitate most beautiful wards both at the city and state levels, while cities would be awarded for their most beautiful public places both at state and national level for their most beautiful waterfronts, green spaces, tourist, heritage spaces and market as well as commercial places.
Puri also launched the City Finance Ranking 2022 aiming to evaluate, recognise and rewards Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on the basis of their strength across three financial parameters including resource mobilisation, expenditure performance and fiscal governance system.
"I hope the initiative will provide necessary nudge to the urban local bodies to undertake financial reforms for improving their financial status, besides facilitating peer learning, building internal capacities to address present and future challenges, and realising the cities potential as engines of growth and development," the Union Minister said.
It is worth mentioning that the ULBs provide basic infrastructure and services in urban areas including in cities and towns. The ULBs also coordinate on the working of municipalities in the State.
