Hyderabad: Telangana’s municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department is eyeing an incentive of Rs 1,500 crore under the Central government’s Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SSASCI) 2025–26.The Central government offers special assistance in two parts to states to encourage reforms in urban planning. Under the first part, the Centre earmarked Rs 13,000 crore for reforms related to governance, finance, and urban land and planning. Under the second part, Rs 5,000 crore is earmarked for Ease of Doing Business (EoDB). As this amount is allocated for all states, the state government must meet the multiple criteria set by the Central government to secure the maximum share. To obtain financial incentives from the Central government, the state government has expedited the work. As part of this task, the state government’s National Institute of Urban Management (NIUM), in collaboration with the Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA), hosted a stakeholder consultation workshop on urban planning reforms under SSASCI 2025–26 on Wednesday. Senior officials from the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), along with key members from Telangana’s municipal ecosystem, participated in the workshop. The event was presided over by T.K. Sreedevi, secretary, municipal administration and urban development department, and director-general, NIUM. The workshop focused on enabling states to effectively meet SSASCI reform milestones and access corresponding capital investment incentives. Emphasis was laid on navigating the eligibility criteria and reform pathways in the context of Telangana’s urbanisation — marked by robust institutional capacity, a proactive policy environment, and a vision for sustainable development. Officials from the state government underlined the need to contextualise national reform guidelines to state-specific realities, highlighting Telangana’s strides in digital governance, implementation, and urban innovation. “Pioneering initiatives such as land pooling mechanisms, sponge city frameworks, and greenfield planning approaches are models of forward-thinking urban development and a value addition to our state,” said an official from the CDMA. Mohd. Monis Khan from MoHUA and others presented comprehensive reform templates and strategies covering domains such as the strengthening of municipal cadres and institutional capacity. The presentation also included GIS-based asset and utility mapping, integrated property tax management systems, implementation of statutory town planning schemes, revitalisation of central business districts, and the development of sponge cities and climate-resilient infrastructure. MoHUA representatives lauded Telangana for emerging as a frontrunner in urban reforms despite being a relatively young state. They cited exemplary practices such as BuildNow.
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