PM Modi launches second phases of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, AMRUT
New Delhi, Oct 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.
In line with the vision of the prime minister, SBM-U 2.0 and AMRUT 2.0 have been designed to realise the aspiration to make all cities garbage free and water secure, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)
At an event at the Ambedkar International Centre here, the prime minister launched the flagship missions
These missions signify a step forward in the march towards effectively addressing the challenges of rapidly urbanising India and will also help contribute towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the PMO said
SBM-U 2.0 envisions to make all cities 'garbage free' and ensure grey and black water management in all cities other than those covered under AMRUT, make all urban local bodies open defecation free+ and those with a population of less than one lakh as open defecation free++, thereby achieving the vision of safe sanitation in urban areas.?
The mission will focus on source segregation of solid waste, utilising the principles of 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), scientific processing of all types of municipal solid waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites for effective solid waste management, the PMO said.?
The outlay of SBM-U 2.0 is around Rs 1.41 lakh crore, it said
AMRUT 2.0 aims at providing 100 per cent coverage of water supply to all households in around 4,700 urban local bodies by providing about 2.68 crore tap connections and 100 per cent coverage of sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities by providing around 2.64 crore sewer or septage connections, which will benefit more than 10.5 crore people in urban areas, the PMO said.?
AMRUT 2.0 will adopt the principles of a circular economy and promote conservation and rejuvenation of surface and groundwater bodies, it said
The mission will promote data-led governance in water management and technology sub-mission to leverage the latest global technologies and skills, it said
The outlay of AMRUT 2.0 is around Rs 2.87 lakh crore, the PMO statement said.?
SBM-U and AMRUT have contributed significantly to improve the urban landscape during the last seven years, PMO has said.?
The two flagship missions have augmented the capacity to deliver basic services of water supply and sanitation to the citizens,it said
'Swachhta' has become a jan andolan today, all urban local bodies have been declared open defecation free and 70 per cent solid waste is being scientifically processed now, the PMO said
AMRUT has been ensuring water security by adding 1.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
