PUNE: The much-delayed Pune metro rail project got a funding of Rs 10.01 crore in the Union Budget on Thursday. The Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, that have proposed the project in association with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, have already made provisions in their respective budgets for the year 2013-14.

The budgetary head, 'Pune Metro', figures in the list of projects of the urban development department for the first time this year in budget. The total funding of Rs 10.01 crore has been bifurcated into three components.

PUNE: Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi presented a draft budget of Rs 3,248.14 crore for 2013-14 on Thursday.

VASCO: Vasco MLA and KTC Chairman Carlos Almeida has stated that the state government will get a grant of Rs 100 crore from Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to develop the Vasco city by the end of next year.

“I will also see that Vasco will be free of handcarts, following the construction of the fish and the vegetable markets,” informed Almeida while addressing a press conference on Thursday, where he presented his progress card of the first year in the government.

The Union Budget for the financial year 2013-14, presented by the Union Finance Minister, P.

The hike in customes duty on fully built imported vehicles from 75 per cent to 100 per cent in the Budget 2013-14 has disappointed the industry but given its small size, the impact may not be significant.

Speaking to The Hindu , Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Partner, Roland Berger Strategic Consultants, and former MD & CEO, Mercedes Benz India, said, “the fully imported vehicle market in India is around a mere 3,000 units per annum. If one considers the big three German players — Audi, Mercedes Benz and BMW — fully imported vehicles constitute 7-10 per cent of their portfolio here.’’

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra would have maximum urban population by 2026, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Quoting the population projection by the Census of India, the Union urban development ministry in a reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday stated that country's urban population will reach 53.48 crore in another 13 years. It is estimated that over 38% of total projected population will be living in urban areas.

As per the projection, India's total population would reach 140 crore by 2026, minister of state for urban development Deepa Dasmunshi stated in her reply to a written question.

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has the least availability of water and the least reliable supply, with only 162 out of the state's 222 towns receiving water everyday, says a World Bank report. India, while maintaining the targeted subsidies for the poor, can also provide more and better quality of water to its citizens, the report states.

The report, Improving Urban Water Supply & Sanitation Services - Lessons from Business Plans for Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Haryana and International Good Practices seeks to address the key issues facing the water sector in India's states and cities.

BHOPAL: The union government will release Rs 500 crore for Madhya Pradesh under the first phase of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Ahmedabad: Gujarat government has cleared a pilot project worth Rs 252.67 crore to make Ahmedabad slum-free. The clearance came at a meeting of the high-level state steering committee of the urban development mission, chaired by urban development minister Anandiben Patel.

The project is to be executed under the centrally-sponsored Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) that was publicized by the Congress before the last state election under the name ‘Ghar nu ghar’. The state government has also approved a pilot project for Rajkot worth Rs 20 crore under the same scheme.