Previous govts neglected cities, PM Modi introduced urban development schemes: Fadnavis

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dec 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday claimed that previous governments neglected development in cities, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced schemes for urban areas, as 65 per cent of the nation's GDP comes from there.

Fadnavis was speaking at a rally in Paithan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on the last day of campaigning for the local bodies polls.

"Previous governments focused more on villages, as the majority of the country resided there, but they never thought about people living in cities. People are now moving to cities for health, education and employment, and the cities are also growing," he said.

The chief minister said that there were no schemes for cities for the last 65 years, and due to this, encroachments and slums came up, and there were water problems and garbage issues.

"For the first time, PM Modi gave equal importance to cities and villages. At least 65 per cent of the nation's GDP comes from cities. Hence, he introduced schemes such as Smart City, AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Shahri Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) and Har Ghar Jal for cities. Maharashtra received Rs 50,000 crore for the cities," he said.

He promised to sanction 2,000 houses under the Awas Yojana in Paithan and undertake anti-flood remedies to avoid losses. PTI AW ARU