New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Establishing a national authority on urban planning and a national council of city regions, modernising state town planning acts and regulations are among the key recommendations made by a high-level committee in its first draft report, the government said on Monday.

Replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore said the committee, constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in March 2022, has also recommended a national level service for urban planning in its report submitted in April this year.

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The other recommendations include extending the central support scheme for planning, personnel and capacity building, and streamlining state town planning departments.

Kishore said for monitoring the development of cities, the ministry has established project management units at central level and project management consultants at city level to coordinate and monitor the progress of all the missions.

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The investments made through Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All and Swachh Bharat Mission have developed the cities as centres for generating economic activities, he said.

"The Committee (constituted on urban planning in March 2022) has submitted its first draft report in April, 2023 and its key recommendations include establishing National Council of City Regions, a national authority and national level service for urban planning, extending central support scheme for planning, personnel, and capacity building, and streamlining state town planning departments and revising and modernising state town planning acts and regulations," the minister noted.

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