CITIIS 2.0 Challenge
Why in news ?
Recently, the Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas launched the CITIIS 2.0 Challenge.
CITIIS 2.0:
- CITIIS 2.0 is a significant step in the direction of achieving India’s commitments to combating the challenges posed by climate change. During COP26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Glasgow in November 2021, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi presented the five nectar elements (Panchamrit) of India’s climate actions, including achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070. Furthering this vision, MoHUA has also undertaken varied measures to address climate change through its ongoing missions, including the Smart Cities Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT and Urban Transport, among others. CITIIS 2.0 program envisages to supplement such climate initiatives of the Government of India and MoHUA through its unique model of action at all three levels of the government.
- CITIIS 2.0 is the second phase of the City Investments To Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) program. It has been conceived by MoHUA in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD), KfW Development Bank, the European Union and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with the aim to:
- Drive investments into urban climate action through competitively selected projects promoting a circular economy with focus on integrated waste management.
- Foster climate-sensitive planning and action in states and cities through evidence-driven approaches.
- Build institutional mechanisms, leverage partnerships and anchor capacity building for all urban local bodies in India.
- CITIIS 2.0 will be funded through an external funding of INR 1,866 crore (EUR 212 million). This includes a loan of EUR 100 million each from AFD and KfW, i.e., a total loan of INR 1,760 crore (EUR 200 million), and a technical assistance grant of INR 106 crore (EUR 12 million) from EU. The program will be managed by the CITIIS Program Management Unit at NIUA.
- All 100 SPVs under the Smart Cities Mission are eligible to seek assistance under CITIIS 2.0 program. Up to 18 innovative projects promoting circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management shall be selected for assistance. The CITIIS grant amount for each project under will be limited to 80% of the total project cost, up to INR 135 Crore (90% of the total project cost, in the case of North-Eastern and Hill States). The additional funds, i.e., 20% of the total project cost will be mobilised by the selected city through own source funding by the State/ Local Governments (10% of the total project cost, in case of North-Eastern and Hill States).
Components:
- Component 1: Financial and technical support for developing projects focused on building climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation in up to 18 smart cities through a selection of competitively selected projects promoting a circular economy with a focus on integrated waste management.
- Component 2: All States and UTs will be eligible for support on-demand basis.
- Component 3: Interventions at all three levels; Centre, State and City to further climate governance in urban India through institutional strengthening, knowledge dissemination, partnerships, building capacity, research and development to support scale-up across all States and Cities.
Source – PIB
