Gujarat govt sanctions Rs 3.14 crore for infrastructure projects

Gandhinagar, Oct 17 (IANS) The Gujarat government has approved Rs 3.14 crore for 53 infrastructure development projects under the Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel sanctioned the amount for the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and the municipalities of Jasdan and Vijapur as part of the Private Society Janbhagidari initiative.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation has received approval for Rs 2.78 crore to carry out 50 projects, while Jasdan Municipality has been allocated Rs 19.17 lakh for the construction of concrete roads. Additionally, Vijapur Municipality will receive Rs 17.43 lakh for projects including CC roads and paver block installations.

The Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana, initiated in 2010 by then Chief Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focuses on improving basic amenities in private societies. The scheme operates on a 70:20:10 funding model, where the state government provides 70 per cent of the funding, while private societies contribute 20 per cent, and local bodies contribute 10 per cent.

Since the scheme's launch, the Gujarat government has allocated Rs 2,430 crore for 43,752 projects across the state, helping develop key infrastructure such as roads, drainage lines, water pipelines, and street lighting in private societies.

Meanwhile, the Union government and the Gujarat government signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) securing Rs 6,000 crore in funding for Gujarat’s science and technology department from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) as part of the Central government’s revamped BharatNet program.

According to an official statement, the Gujarat Department of Science and Technology has submitted a ten-year capital expenditure (CapEx) plan and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) worth Rs 6,000 crore under the revised BharatNet program. The DPR outlines enhancing signal strength via fibre connectivity for remote towers, establishing fibre connections for field offices to support grassroots governance, and implementing large-scale fibre-to-family initiatives.

--IANS

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