LUCKNOW Six Uttar Pradesh cities — Agra, Ayodhya, Lucknow, Mathura-Vrindavan, Prayagraj and Varanasi — have been selected under the Centre’s Pragati-50 initiative, which aims to develop 50 cities across the country as models of cleanliness, modern civic infrastructure and sustainable urban development.
The announcement was made during a virtual meeting of state urban development ministers chaired by Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday. UP urban development and energy minister AK Sharma participated in the meeting and sought the inclusion of Kanpur, describing it as a major industrial and historic city.
The initiative comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the Union urban affairs ministry and states to identify 50 cities and demonstrate comprehensive cleanliness and waste-management outcomes. In a May PRAGATI review, the PM called for the selected cities to achieve complete cleanliness, including processing of solid and liquid waste, with Centre-state collaboration.
Under Pragati-50, the selected cities are expected to receive focused attention on 24×7 mechanised cleaning, scientific solid-waste management, used-water management, green mobility, solar energy and modern civic amenities.
Khattar said UP has the highest number of cities —six — among the states selected for the initiative. The focus, he said, would be on expediting sanitation and waste-management projects through coordinated efforts by the Centre and state governments.
Sharma welcomed the selection of the six UP cities but pressed for Kanpur to be added to the list. He argued that its industrial significance and historical importance made it a suitable candidate for development under the initiative.
He said the programme could particularly benefit the state’s major religious and tourist destinations. Developing Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura-Vrindavan and Prayagraj, alongside Agra and Lucknow, with modern civic infrastructure could improve facilities for pilgrims and tourists and strengthen their international profile, he said.
