PM Modi Attends All India Mayor's Conference, Urges Them To Ensure Development Of Respective Cities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the All India Mayors' Conference. The conference was organized in Varanasi by the Urban Development Department of Uttar Pradesh at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay-Business Facilitation Center. The event in the Prime Minister's Lok Sabha constituency follows shortly after the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor earlier this week.

PM Modi Asks Mayors To Preserve The Heritage Of Their Cities

"Our focus must be on preserving our heritage as we progress towards an advanced society." PM Modi stated through a video conference that was broadcast across social media. "If there is competition amongst the councillors of wards, the cumulative effect will transform the entire city", he said while stressing the importance of beautifying wards. Amongst 120 mayors from several states, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri were present.

The Prime Minister further said that the authorities need to put in the efforts to make their city a hub of a vibrant economy. He also gave importance to helping to strengthen MSMEs in India's growth model. PM Modi urged the city's mayors to introduce a program for teaching the street vendors about the digital payment ecosystem.

As per a press release by the Prime Minister's Office, the conference's theme is New Urban India. An exhibition will also be held from 17 to 19 December to showcase the key achievements of urban development by the Indian and Uttar Pradesh governments. PM Modi said to all the mayors present at the conference that no stone should be left unturned to ensure a bright future and development of their respective cities.

Which Is The Richest Municipal Corporations Of India?

As per Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) & ASHA-India Awards 2019, Uttar Pradesh was awarded the Best Performing State and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) was the Best Performing Municipal Corporation. The richest municipal corporation of India, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), proposed a budgetary estimate for the current financial year at Rs 39,038.83 crores, as per Hindustan Times report.

For 2020, only 48 percent of BMC's yearly budget was spent on various development projects due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as per this Times of India report. Meanwhile, the budget of Vishakapatnam was at ₹ 4,225 crore. The authorities of GVMC had concerns similar to BMC authorities, stating that the pandemic and the lockdown had affected revenue streams leading them to form a more "realistic budget."

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