AMRUT

Also called: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation · Topic: Human Settlements and Urbanisation in India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) is a centrally sponsored scheme (the Union and the states share the cost). It gives cities basic services, and its top priorities are water supply and sewerage [2]. It was launched on 25 June 2015 for 500 cities [2].

It matters because it works on the whole water and sewer network of a city, not just one small model area. AMRUT 2.0 (2021) widened it to every urban local body in India [2].

Explanation

Why AMRUT was needed

• Most Indian towns grew without planning.
• Many lack enough water and sewerage.

• They also suffer from slums, traffic jams and flooding.

• JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) ran from 2005 to 2014.

• In 2015 it was replaced by several separate missions: Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT, PMAY-Urban and HRIDAY.
• AMRUT took over the job of providing basic services.

AMRUT-1 (2015): aims and parts

• Three aims [2]: 1. Every household gets a tap with assured water supply and a sewerage connection. 2. Cities become more pleasant, with greenery and open spaces such as parks. 3. Pollution falls through public transport and non-motorised transport (walking and cycling).

• Components [2]:

• Water supply. This includes special supply for hill and coastal cities. It also covers areas where the water contains arsenic or fluoride.
• Sewerage and septage management. Septage is the sludge collected from septic tanks.
• Storm-water drains, which stop flooding.
• Urban transport, such as buses, BRTS, ferry vessels, footpaths and multi-level parking.
• Parks, capped at 2.5% of project cost.

• Capacity building, which means training staff.

• Coverage:

• It started with 500 cities, which is roughly every town with 1 lakh or more people.

• Some cities later merged, so the number is now 485 [2].

• How money is shared:

• Funds go to states and UTs based on their urban population and number of towns [2].

• ULBs (urban local bodies) carry out the work through State Annual Action Plans.

• AMRUT-1 money:

• State Annual Action Plans worth ₹77,640 crore were approved.
• The Union committed ₹35,990 crore as central assistance [2].

AMRUT 2.0 (1 October 2021)

• It covers all ULBs, meaning municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats [2].
• Water:
• The goal is a tap-water connection for everyone in all statutory towns, which number about 4,700 [3].

• A statutory town is a place that state law declares urban. It is run by a ULB.

• Sewerage: the goal is sewerage and septage coverage for everyone in the original 500 AMRUT cities [2].

• Targets: 2.68 crore tap connections and 2.64 crore sewer connections [3].
• Outlay: ₹2,99,000 crore in total over five years. The central share is ₹76,760 crore [2].
• Water-body rejuvenation (reviving lakes and ponds so that groundwater is recharged):
• 3,032 water bodies over 1.09 lakh acres were approved [2].

• 544 water bodies over 9,511 acres have been rejuvenated [2].

• "Jal Hi AMRIT":

• It rewards states that run sewage treatment plants well.

• The aim is to reuse treated water safely [2].

• Technology Sub-Mission: 120 start-ups were matched with 82 AMRUT cities for pilot projects [2].

Ten-year results of AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 (June 2025)

• 2.03 crore tap connections and 1.50 crore sewer connections were provided [2].
• 14,828 projects worth ₹2,73,649 crore were sanctioned. Works worth about ₹1,12,368 crore were completed [2].
• 99 lakh LED streetlights were installed. Each year they save 666 crore kWh of power and cut CO₂ emissions by 46 lakh tonnes [2].
• Municipal bonds:
• A municipal bond is a loan that a city raises from the market by selling bonds.
• 13 ULBs raised ₹4,984 crore this way [2].

Where it occurs

• Who runs it: the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). States, UTs and ULBs share the work and the cost.
• AMRUT-1 (25 June 2015):
• It started in 500 cities with 1 lakh or more people. After mergers, the number is now 485 [2].

• Its special water components serve hill cities, coastal cities, and areas with arsenic or fluoride in their water [2].

• AMRUT 2.0 (1 October 2021):

• It covers all ULBs across India [2].
• Its tap-water goal covers about 4,700 statutory towns [3].

• Its sewerage goal covers the 500 AMRUT cities [2].

• Gap in coverage:

• Census 2011 counted 3,894 census towns.
• These are places with at least 5,000 people, at least 400 people per sq km, and at least 75% of male main workers outside farming.
• They are still run as village panchayats, so a scheme meant for statutory towns can miss them.

Don't confuse with

• Smart Cities Mission (SCM):
• It was launched on the same day as AMRUT (25 June 2015) [1].
• It covered only 100 cities, chosen through a challenge competition (a contest in which the best city plans win central money).
• It worked in small model areas plus ICT through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a company that runs the projects.

• AMRUT works on whole-city water and sewer networks through ULBs.

• AMRUT-1 vs AMRUT 2.0:

• AMRUT-1 (2015) covered 500 cities.

• AMRUT 2.0 (2021) covers all ULBs. Its tap-water goal covers all statutory towns, but its sewerage goal covers only the 500 AMRUT cities.

• SBM-Urban 2.0:

• It was launched on the same day as AMRUT 2.0 (1 October 2021) [4].
• It deals with open-defecation-free cities and solid waste.

• AMRUT deals with water supply and sewerage.

• HRIDAY / PRASHAD:

• HRIDAY (2015) revives heritage cities such as Varanasi, Amritsar and Ajmer.
• PRASHAD improves facilities at pilgrimage sites.
• Neither is a basic-services mission.

Prelims Hooks

• AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission were both launched on 25 June 2015 [1][2]. PMAY-Urban also began in June 2015.
• AMRUT 2.0 and SBM-Urban 2.0 were both launched on 1 October 2021 [2][4].
• AMRUT is a centrally sponsored scheme. Funds go to states based on their urban population and number of towns [2].
• AMRUT 2.0 targets:
• tap water in all statutory towns (~4,700) [3]
• sewerage in the 500 AMRUT cities [2]

• 2.68 crore tap connections and 2.64 crore sewer connections [3]

• The number of AMRUT cities started at 500 and is now 485 after mergers [2]. Parks can take up to 2.5% of project cost [2].

• Trap:
• "Jal Hi AMRIT" rewards states that run sewage treatment plants well [2].
• It is not a drinking-water connection target.

Mains Points

• Whole city vs showpiece pockets (GS-I):
• AMRUT built city-wide networks: 2.03 crore tap connections and 1.50 crore sewer connections by June 2025 [2].
• SCM worked in small model areas run by SPVs.

• Basic services across the whole city do more for balanced urbanisation.

• Water security and environment (GS-III):

• AMRUT 2.0 links urban water supply to reviving lakes and ponds: 544 water bodies over 9,511 acres [2].
• It also promotes reuse of treated sewage ("Jal Hi AMRIT") [2].

• Its 99 lakh LED streetlights cut CO₂ emissions by 46 lakh tonnes each year [2].

• Governance and spatial equity:

• AMRUT works through ULBs. This fits the 74th Amendment (1992), which made elected municipalities the third tier of government.
• Its plans are still set by the Union through State Annual Action Plans.
• Municipal bonds can make cities less dependent on central money: 13 ULBs have raised ₹4,984 crore [2].
• Census towns (3,894 in Census 2011) are still left out.
• Paying more attention to small and medium towns could slow migration to the big cities.

Related concepts

• Smart Cities Mission
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Read more

• Urban policy: Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT and housing