New Delhi, Jul 17: Jairampur Town has been conferred with the State Level Swachh Survekshan Award 2024-25 under the category “Promising Swachh Shehar of Arunachal Pradesh”, in recognition of its commendable performance in the national Swachh Survekshan assessment. The award ceremony was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Thursday and was graced by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, along with other dignitaries.
The award was presented by Manohar Lal, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs. On behalf of the State of Arunachal Pradesh, the award was received by Balo Raja, Minister for Urban Affairs, and Vivek Pandey, Commissioner, Urban Affairs.
This recognition marks a significant milestone in Arunachal Pradesh’s continued efforts towards sustainable urban development and improved public health under the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U). Jairampur’s achievement is a result of the dedicated efforts of the Urban Local Body, the commitment of sanitation workers, and active citizen participation and especially the Executive Engineer (UD) of Jairampur Er. George Joseph.  Hano Taka, Directorate of Urban Local Bodies played a pivotal role by providing administrative and technical support for the effective implementation of SBM-U across the state.
Following the award ceremony, the meeting of Urban Development Ministers was convened at the same venue, bringing together Union and State Ministers, Commissioners, and senior officials from across the country to deliberate on key urban priorities. The meeting featured sharing of best practices under various missions, as well as roundtable discussions on key themes including garbage-free cities, water security, urban governance, and housing-service convergence. Dedicated sessions also focused on the progress of SBM(U) and PMAY(U).
During the meeting, Balo Raja, Minister for Urban Affairs made a strong appeal for a revised funding policy tailored to the unique needs of hilly and North-Eastern states. He urged the Ministry to relax the population eligibility criteria to 5,000 for small towns and district headquarters, stating that the current per capita-based funding model under SBM-U and AMRUT excludes several deserving urban areas in Arunachal Pradesh.
Emphasizing the state’s ecological importance—with over 80% forest cover—Shri Balo Raja stressed that the vision of a Viksit Bharat must include equitable urban development in frontier regions. He further called for a separate, flexible funding mechanism for the North-East and sought immediate support under the Urban Challenge Fund to address the state’s pending proposals and urban reform agenda. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
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