Union Cabinet approved the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) with an outlay of Rs. 5142.08 crores.

About the Mission

• Aim:- To transform rural areas into economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces.
• The state governments would identify the clusters in accordance with the framework for implementation prepared by the ministry of rural development.
• These clusters would be developed by provisioning of economic activities, developing skills and local entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure amenities.
• 300 clusters would be developed over the next three years across the country, and States would prepare the Integrated Cluster Action Plans for the mission.
• The clusters will be geographically contiguous gram panchayats with a population of about 25,000-50,000 in plain and coastal areas and a population of 5,000-15,000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas.
• There would be a separate approach for selection of clusters in tribal and non-tribal districts.
• As far as practicable, clusters of villages would follow administrative convergence units of gram Panchayats.
• To ensure an optimum level of development, 14 components have been suggested as desirable for the cluster, which would include skill development training linked to economic activities, agro processing and warehousing, digital literacy, sanitation, provision of piped water supply, solid and liquid waste management, village streets and drains and street lights, etc.

The scheme through development of rurban growth clusters aimed at catalyzing overall regional growth,  would thus simultaneously benefit the rural as well as urban areas of the country, by achieving twin objectives of strengthening rural areas and de burdening the urban areas hence leading to balanced regional development and growth of the country.