India, March 17 -- Urban development was the fifth of nine priorities of the 2024-25 Union budget. But only slightly more than half of the budgeted Rs.82,576.57 crore was used by January, a parliamentary standing committee on housing and urban affairs in its report tabled last week.

The panel, in its report, noted that the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) was lagging in its implementation of all flagship schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Even as 2024 was an election year, the committee noted that the ministry went for a downward revision of its estimated budgets in the two preceding fiscal ye...