Three Projects worth Rs. 1174.94 Crore Launched Including National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) at Amritsar:

Sukhbir Singh Badal 

The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched from Amritsar in Punjab today for 12 cities in the country including the Holy city of Amritsar, the centre of Sikhism to be the first under this project. Government of India has sanctioned Rs. 69.31 crore as 100% grant for Amritsar city. Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Shri Arun Jaitley launched this Yojana at Amritsar in the presence of Union Ministers Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Shri Vijay Sampla, and Chief Minister of Punjab Shri Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal. 

Foundation stone was also laid today, to make Amritsar-Bathinda-Ganganagar Highway Four Lane and for Hrike by Pass project which are worth Rs.1100 crore. Also, a Rehabilitation Centre, Amritsar - a project worth Rs.5.66 crore, was also inaugurated. 

Addressing the function, Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister said that cultural heritage of Amritsar and Punjab will be maintained and sustained further through the joint efforts of Union and Punjab Governments. In Punjab, SAD-BJP alliance is not only a political alliance but it is a social alliance which brought in peace, communal harmony and ushering in an age of Development in Punjab, he said. Shri Jaitley further said that the development of agriculture sector is a major concern for all of us and the Centre had already started irrigation projects worth Rs50000 crore. 

Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Venkaiah Naidu in his address mentioned that, on the recommendation of State Government 16 cities of Punjab are being covered under AMRUT while three other cities will be developed as Smart cities. He further added that NDA government's objective is to promote inclusive urban development so that those living on the margins of urban areas also benefit adequately from urban development.