India Takes a Giant Leap Towards Zero Waste Cities by 2026: Khattar Unveils DRAP and UiWIN
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Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has launched two groundbreaking initiatives – the Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme (DRAP) and the Urban Investment Window (UiWIN) – aimed at transforming India's urban landscape. The ambitious plan, unveiled at the National Urban Conclave 2025, aims to eliminate legacy waste dumpsites by September 2026 and unlock private investments for sustainable infrastructure growth. The DRAP initiative targets the remediation of 214 high-impact dumpsites across 202 Urban Local Bodies, which collectively hold around 8.8 crore metric tonnes of legacy waste. The government has allocated ₹550 per tonne for waste remediation, with ₹4,181 crore already disbursed for projects worth ₹10,228 crore. So far, 1,048 out of 2,476 dumpsites have been remediated, reclaiming nearly 7,580 acres of land. UiWIN, on the other hand, will serve as a one-stop platform to attract private capital and long-term concessional funding from multilateral agencies. The initiative aims to promote Public-Private Partnership-based urban projects to accelerate sustainable infrastructure development. The National Urban Conclave 2025 brought together policymakers, urban planners, and experts to chart the roadmap for building future-ready, livable cities. According to Minister Khattar, the initiatives will be pivotal in building cleaner, greener, and more liveable cities, aligning with the broader vision of 'Viksit Bharat @2047.' With India's urban population expected to account for around 50 per cent of the total population by 2047, these initiatives are crucial in realising the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat.'
