JK News Today: AMRUT 2.0: Rs 1665 cr approved, barely Rs 11 cr spent by J&K UT: Union Minister
Despite substantial allocations under the Centre’s flagship urban infrastructure scheme—Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has shown little tangible progress on the ground.
What’s more alarming is the situation in Ladakh Union Territory, where not even a single contract has been awarded so far although projects worth Rs 908 crore have been sanctioned.
This has come to the fore from the written reply to a question by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu in the Lok Sabha today. The Member of Parliament had sought implementation status of AMRUT 2-0, the objectives of which are to make the cities water secure and self-reliant with a focus on universal water supply and sanitation and to rejuvenate water bodies, promote the reuse of treated water and encourage rainwater harvesting.
According to data provided by the Minister, Jammu and Kashmir has received approval for 153 projects under AMRUT 2.0 worth Rs 1,665.11 crore. However, as of July 14, 2025, only 81 projects have been awarded contracts and physical work worth a meager Rs 39.32 crore has been completed. Alarmingly, the total expenditure incurred so far stands at just Rs 11.02 crore signaling a major bottleneck in on-ground execution.
The situation in the Union Territory of Ladakh is even more concerning. While 7 projects worth Rs 908.90 crore have been approved, not a single contract has been awarded and there is no reported physical progress or expenditure so far. This effectively means that the implementation of AMRUT 2.0 in Ladakh is yet to take off.
The Minister said that Mission is to be monitored by the State High Powered Steering Committee (SHPSC) and technically supported by the State Level Technical Committee (SLTC). Additionally, Independent Review and Monitoring Agencies (IRMAs) have been assigned to assess on-ground implementation and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs conducts periodic reviews through video conferences, workshops and site visits.
Moreover, AMRUT 2.0 guidelines have provision for capacity building programs to various stakeholders such as municipal functionaries. In addition to the capacity building programmes being carried out by the UTs and States, the Ministry also conducts regular training programmes and workshops for the State/ ULB officials and stakeholders under Geographic information system (GIS) Master Plan formulation etc.
The reply clearly indicated that despite these institutional mechanisms, both UTs seem to be struggling with timely project planning, tendering and execution. Both these UTs are among the lowest performers, especially when seen in terms of the ratio of awarded contracts and actual physical completion.
It is pertinent to mention here that on June 12, 2025, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal conducted a detailed review of various urban development schemes and projects in Jammu and Kashmir in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also Minister Incharge of Housing and Urban Development Department in the UT.
In the meeting, the Union Minister had advised the J&K Government to accelerate water infrastructure (new/ service tap connections) and sewerage projects in all the Urban Local Bodies under AMRUT 2.0.
Few days back, in a high-level meeting stress was laid on aligning AMRUT projects with the broader objective of sustainable urban development. All the implementing agencies were directed to accelerate face and maintain accountability throughout the implementation of this flagship programme.
“If the progress remains slow, it may lead to missed opportunities for upgrading basic civic infrastructure in towns and cities of J&K and Ladakh, particularly in areas grappling with water supply and drainage issues”, sources said.
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